


The wish my heart made

by Moonyki



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee, SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Magical Realism, Romance, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:07:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 56,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27630023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonyki/pseuds/Moonyki
Summary: Kim Jongin is a bookworm. He spends his time daydreaming about a grand, fanciful friendship despite his overwhelming shyness always preventing him from bonding with anyone.That is until a cat embroils him on a journey to find friendship & love at the heart of a myriad of marigolds.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Lee Taemin
Comments: 113
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally written after a prompt from the HoneyBoy fest.

.

There was a bus stop between the village where Jongin lived and the nearby little town, where no one ever got off. Or at least, Jongin had never seen the bus halt there and he found it curious. He couldn't really understand why it had been constructed in the first place, in the middle of nowhere.

It was a cute stop with a wooden bench under a little shelter, abandoned between the narrow road and the woods. On rainy days, it looked either sad or romantic, depending on Jongin's mood as he looked at it. On misty days, it looked eerie.

They passed it again and Jongin glanced at it, head pressed against the warm window of the bus. It was sunny that morning; the bus stop hit by the sunbeams looked a little magical. Jongin had the fleeting thought that he should get off the bus there, one day. Just to look around. He should take a walk in the forest, at least once.

He even wondered why he had never done it before.

The bus ran over something and got a little shaky. Jongin jolted away from the window, rubbing his sore temple with a pout. He grabbed his bag thrown over the seat next to him and held onto it tightly as if he was scared that it would fall with another little tremor. It didn't and then, Jongin felt too stupid to let go of it.

They reached the town quickly. Jongin's stop was one of the first and when he finally got off the bus, he heard the driver wish him a nice day. The doors closed before he could turn around to answer.

Jongin often came there for one very specific little shop. It was squeezed between a flower shop and an antique one, quite narrow in the entrance but it opened up on a slightly larger space after a couple of meters. It was cluttered, filled from floor to ceiling with shelves and piles of books in organized chaos. It was probably Jongin's favorite place on Earth since he was a child. It smelled of old books and tea, was quiet and safe, and gave Jongin all the comfort and reassurance he needed.

There, on those very old bookshelves, he had found all the friends he ever had since he was 7. He had gone on so many adventures he could barely remember them all. He had bought, read, devoured too many books to keep track of, and often had brought them back to buy other ones. Jongin only kept his very favorite books at home, the ones he knew he would endlessly reread.

There, he had found his very first and only real friend. One who wasn't made of paper and ink. The old woman who used to own the store had introduced him to so many books. She had even been the one who put his very favorite series in Jongin's hands. Thanks to her, thanks to Mrs. Kim, Jongin had met Anne Shirley: the one character, the one little girl who had stolen his heart and taught him so many valuable life lessons.

When Mrs. Kim had retired, she had left 'The Treasure Island' to her grandson and, to Jongin's immense relief and joy, Kim Junmyeon had kept the bookstore almost exactly as it always had been. He seemed to love books just as much as his grandmother and Jongin did. But if Jongin had relentlessly wished to befriend him, he had never managed to talk to him properly and without stuttering, too frightened at the idea of being boring, uninteresting, too ordinary.

Junmyeon had taken upon the bookshop for six months already when our story began. But our story, actually, isn't about him at all. Although we could go on and explain who Junmyeon was, it wouldn't truly serve us and our hero here is Kim Jongin. As unbelievable as it would be to him, that very day where the bus ran over something and made him hit himself against the window was the beginning of the greatest adventure of his life; the one when the seed of his deepest, wildest dream started to sprout in the great garden of his life.

The Treasure Island wasn't as quiet as it usually was and Jongin could recognize the voice of Oh Sehun; a tall, handsome man who was there almost as often as him. Sehun didn't exactly come for the books though, unlike Jongin, and often simply spent hours sitting next to the counter, talking to Junmyeon. His voice was soft and calming, and Jongin didn't mind him that much.

Sehun was there, talking about a new song from a band Jongin didn't know of. And Jongin was strolling around, looking at all the bookshelves, not paying attention in which genre section he was because he had learned to love so many kinds of books over the years. His only purpose was to find something interesting that he hadn't read yet which was harder than it could appear.

A red cover caught his eyes and he absentmindedly grabbed the book to read its title, to feel its weight in one hand, and then flip it to glance at the summary. He had no idea that by simply holding that book, he had taken the very first step toward his fanciful destiny, and that wonderful things would happen to him, even more beautiful than the story he wanted to read.

Jongin tightened his hold on his book. It was a romance, in times of a war he was familiar with, it was filled with magic and more importantly, the heroes were two men. Jongin felt his heart pound with excitement. It wasn't so common for him to find books about a love story between two men, after all.

Jongin quickly went to the counter and gave the book to Junmyeon.

"I love this one," Junmyeon said with a very small smile as he took it. "I hope you'll enjoy it."

Jongin nodded and smiled back. He asked if it was alright for him to stay there to read it. He had to ask, just in case, even if Junmyeon always told him that it was fine. Then, Junmyeon asked if he would like something to drink; that was the one thing Junmyeon had changed when he had taken upon the bookshop: he had added a little corner near his counter, where he could make hot drinks for his customers. Jongin thought it was a very lovely idea.

Then, Jongin went to the reading area in the back of the shop with his book, 'The Song of Achilles', and his drink, a hot chocolate. He sat near the little round window that showed the courtyard - flowery at that time of the year. Soon, he lost himself in words that brought him to another world, another time.

He stopped paying attention to his surroundings. Sehun's voice fainted to his ears and Jongin curled up on the pillows against the wall. All caught up that he was in his story, Jongin didn't notice the cat strolling in the courtyard, bathing in the sun. It was a black grizzled tabby cat with large and tall tufted ears.

The cat trotted on the grass and leaped on the windowsill. His tail skimmed the window as he looked thoroughly at Jongin who still didn't raise his nose from his book. The cat stilled, his big, yellow eyes detailing Jongin, his face, his hands, the book he held; as if the human held all the answers of the universe. If a cat could even look at anyone that way, that is.

Then, finally, Jongin sensed someone looking at him and straightened up. He jolted a little when he noticed how close the cat was, his muzzle pressed against the window, head at Jongin's eye level. Jongin smiled at him gently. He almost waved but the cat disappeared before he could do so. He was so quick that Jongin barely saw him jump away and run across the courtyard. For some reason, it saddened him. His smile faltered but soon, Jongin blinked his sadness away and went back to his book.

Half a chapter later, and quite unexpectedly, Jongin heard a curious little noise coming from his right. When he turned his gaze away from his book, he fell back into two yellow eyes looking at him expectantly.

"Hi," Jongin gasped.

The cat came closer and put his front paws on Jongin's leg, raising his head to take a better look at Jongin's book.

"What do you want?" Jongin asked in a whisper.

The cat climbed him completely to reach the pillow squeezed between Jongin's hip and the window. He sat there, glanced at Jongin, and patted his thigh with one paw before he looked away at the courtyard.

"You want to stay with me?" Jongin said with a smile.

The cat sighed, then yawned, and curled up against Jongin's thigh.

"Alright," Jongin murmured. "Be my guest."

It became a little harder for Jongin to read. He could feel the cat's reassuring weight against his leg and soon heard him purr lowly. It was a very pleasant distraction, one that caused his heart to jolt. He wondered if the cat came here often, if he thought of that spot as his and didn't mind having Jongin here, or if, perhaps, he had wanted company too. One could always dream. Jongin could always dream. In fact, he liked dreaming far too much not to indulge himself in a fantasy where that adorable cat would like to be his friend.

A friend was, after all, all Jongin had ever truly wished for. Someone who wouldn't find him dull. Someone who would love to hear him talk about the things he liked. Someone kind and patient, with all kinds of interesting things to say; someone who would laugh with Jongin instead of at him.

It was maybe a little too much to ask of a cat, but still. Jongin would never turn down a friend, as little and quiet as they could be. Someone who would just sit next to him and stay with him was already a lot.

Jongin shook his head, pushing all those thoughts away as he blinked quickly to bring himself back into his story, in Ancient Greece.

The cat, or should we say, his new friend (Jongin hoped so), placed his head on Jongin's lap and Jongin held his breath in surprise. He tried not to move an inch and finally, went back to reading.

The story was so captivating that Jongin didn't realize he had spent a couple of hours curled up on the ground already. When he tried to move, his limbs were sore. He winced and whimpered as he straightened up a little. The cat woke up from his nap and looked at him a little disoriented.

"I think I'm gonna go now," Jongin said gently to the animal. "You see, I get a little embarrassed when I stay here too long."

He had finished his drink a long time ago and he couldn't even hear Oh Sehun anymore. He had truly been reading in his corner for hours and even if he knew Kim Junmyeon wouldn't have a problem with him staying more, Jongin still felt like he was doing something wrong. That day though, he almost wanted to stay longer anyway and toss his embarrassment away in favor of staying with that friendly cat longer.

But his dilemma was cut short when the cat got up and walked closer to him, pressing his body against Jongin's leg before he trotted away, stopping a couple of steps later to look back at him expectantly.

"Are you coming with me?" Jongin asked incredulously.

The cat meowed at him and Jongin quickly gathered his things, wide eyes barely leaving the cat waiting for him farther away. He wondered for a moment if he should take time to find other books but decided against it. Firstly, because he didn't want his friend to get bored and go away. Secondly, because even if he happened to finish the book he just bought very quickly, as he expected to, the perspective to have to come back soon in the bookshop wasn't that bothering. Not in the least.

Jongin followed the cat to the exit, waving when he heard Junmyeon wish him a good day, hoping to see him again soon.

"Yes," Jongin said softly. "See you next time."

The weather was pleasant outside and the cat walked all around Jongin, meowing again as if he was ready to follow him anywhere. Jongin smiled softly, squatted down right before the bookstore's showcase, and held out his hand very slowly to give his friend some time to avoid him if he wanted to. But the cat leaned in and rubbed his head against Jongin's palm.

"I'm Jongin, by the way."

Jongin tilted his head and brought his fingers around the cat's neck, searching for a collar that wasn't there. He sighed and got back up.

"You know, I don't go around the town that much," he said. "I don't know where we could go together."

It suddenly occurred to him that he was talking to a cat when a passerby looked at him with a little smile and Jongin blushed and cowered. But the cat nodded and started walking away. He stopped to turn back and look at Jongin when he realized the human wasn't following.

"Oh," Jongin gasped. "I see. I'll follow you then."

It was silly and Jongin couldn't help his nervous giggle as he walked side to side with his new friend who seemed to know exactly where he was going. He even looked at both sides of the road before crossing the street and waited patiently when facing a red light.

"You're really smart," Jongin whispered with a grin.

The cat looked at him proudly, as if very pleased with the compliment.

When they finally stopped walking, Jongin realized they were at his bus stop. He frowned.

"You want to take the bus?" he asked his friend.

The cat sat down next to him and looked over the cars in front of them. Jongin sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, staying silent for a moment before he squatted again to look at the cat.

"You know what? It all feels like the beginning of a novel..." he whispered excitedly.

The cat looked back at him and raised his nose to him gently.

"I'm following a cat... and maybe you have no concrete destination whatsoever but it feels like the most marvelous of all adventures."

Jongin's eyes were shining and the cat tilted his head.

It had to be said that Jongin was a daydreamer. It was obvious to anyone who knew him - his family, and perhaps the teachers who remembered him, but not much more people alas - that as soon as a random cat would seem to lead him somewhere, Jongin would start seeing there the wonderful sign of the start of an epic journey. Any and every little twist and turn happening to him were always a very good and valid reason to imagine romance, drama, and adventures.

As a child, a pine cone was enough to send him on endless peregrinations around his parents' garden and make him dream about being an explorer, a prince, or a nymph. As a teenager, one verse of a song was enough to entertain him for hours, spread on his bed, looking at the sky through the window as he dreamed about an intense, passionate, heartfelt love story where he would finally find his soulmate and live happily ever after. As a young adult, a cat waiting for him as he walked down the street was enough to have his mind running wild with thoughts of impromptus explorations, and unexpected, amazing meetings. Who knew what would happen to him?

When he saw the bus arrive from afar, Jongin pouted.

"Should I carry you?" he asked his friend. "Is it okay?"

The cat jumped in his arms with a meow and Jongin couldn't help giggling softly as he got up, holding his friend close. He let a couple get in before them and searched his jeans' back pocket for his bus card. But a sudden thought occurred to him and he stared at the driver with a wince.

"Hi. Excuse me, do I need to get a ticket for my cat?"

The driver looked at him, then at the cat, and laughed as the doors closed behind Jongin.

"No you don't," he said kindly.

"Oh, alright. Thanks!"

Jongin waddled through the running bus and picked two seats in the middle. The cat jumped from Jongin's arms to walk to the window, putting his two front paws on it as he looked outside.

Jongin would have loved to ask his friend where they were heading but there were too many people around for him to do so. He didn't want the embarrassment of being caught red-handed talking to a cat again, and thus, the quick ride was rather uneventful and quiet. It didn't prevent Jongin from imagining what would happen next, naturally. For a moment, he wondered if he wasn't being completely ridiculous, following a stray cat around, and he realized he might very well end up at the terminus of the line, disappointed and disconcerted. But before his anxiety could completely overwhelm him and turn his daydreams into nightmares, the cat climbed him again and jumped to the floor, looking at Jongin always so confidently.

Jongin's heart raced suddenly when he realized that the next stop was the abandoned one, by the woods, where no one ever got off. Jongin stared at the cat in both confusion and fascination, and his friend looked a little displeased, turning on himself and meowing lowly.

"Here?" Jongin heard himself ask.

The cat walked away to sit next to the doors, his tail impatiently moving behind him. Jongin blinked, then grabbed his bag, and jolted to his feet. He pushed the button to request a halt at the next bus stop just in time and got off on shaky legs. A few people were watching him through the windows as the bus went away; they all looked surprised that someone would stop there.

"And now what?" Jongin said softly.

He lowered his head to the cat who walked away, turning around the bus shelter before he made his way to the woods.

Jongin hesitated just for a couple of seconds. A little voice of reason tried to tell him that he was being dumb and that the cat he had been following was probably just going around aimlessly. But then, there was a little Anne Shirley, a little adventurer, a little explorer still inside Jongin who marveled at what was happening to him and how incredible and magical it was to follow a black cat into the woods in the middle of the afternoon, so Jongin did just that.

They didn't walk on a path. Jongin tried to follow his small friend while still looking everywhere in amazement. There were very soft sounds all around; he could hear birds chirping here and there. The trees were tall, some were blooming and casting pretty shadows on the ground, and Jongin tried to take in the sight of all the wildflowers they passed by.

"Wait..." he called.

He didn't check to see if the cat had stopped to wait for him; Jongin simply couldn't pass by such an opportunity. There were so many flowers sprouting everywhere in wild grass around them and he knew nothing of them. Suddenly, he wished he had learned botany and herbology. It didn't stop him from squatting to pick a couple of blue flowers. He brought them to his nose and inhaled deeply. Then he felt something against his leg and turned his head to his friend.

"Aren't they pretty?" he asked with a grin.

The cat meowed. Jongin brought one flower to his head, trying to tangle the stem with a strand of his hair. It didn't work and he pouted. He resorted to simply putting two flowers behind his ear before he did the same to the cat. It dropped as soon as the cat turned around to keep walking and Jongin sighed.

"Oh, shoot."

He was very careful when he got up, holding on the flowers against his ear with great precaution until he realized they stayed put. Then, he began to hum.

The song Jongin sang very softly to the wind was one of his favorites in the world, no less. And since sometimes the smallest details can come to importance in the grand scheme of things, it has to be said that that song, which Jongin loved so much, the song he thought of as he strolled around the woods with flowers in his hair, was titled 'Never let me go'. It would, indeed, prove to be meaningful later on in our hero's lovely journey.

Jongin was looking at the sky through the branches and it took him a couple of minutes before he noticed the meadow they were heading to. When he lowered his eyes enough, they widened abruptly with the outburst of colors that greeted them. Jongin gasped.

A few meters away was a large clearing, brimming with all shades of gorgeous orange, yellow, and red flowers. Their scent was so thick and rich that it hit Jongin from afar. They were almost shining under the sun and Jongin had quite honestly never seen anything as beautiful in his life. His heart was filled with an unexplainable feeling, something soft, fragile, but overwhelming. He felt like he could cry from the sheer beauty of it all.

Jongin moved like a sleepwalker, hypnotized by the sight in front of him. He left the edge of the woods to come closer to the flowers. They went up a little hill, beyond what Jongin could see. But there, on top of said hill, Jongin saw a house. It was a little cottage with beige walls and a hip roof, surrounded by a sea of flowers.

At that moment, Jongin thought that he was dreaming. He thought he must have fallen asleep in Kim Junmyeon's bookshop. There was no way such a lovely, enchanting place could be real. There was no way he could have found it. But the scent of those flowers all around him was too powerful, too delightful for him to dream it up. When he realized even his imagination wasn't good enough to picture such a place in all those piercing, vivid details, Jongin grinned wildly.

He couldn't remember ever seeing such flowers before. They were marigolds, hundreds of marigolds extending before him.

Jongin heard a soft meow next to him and suddenly remembered his friend, the little cat. He turned to him with bright eyes.

"This is beautiful! This is heaven on Earth, don't you think?" Jongin excitedly squeaked. Then he looked over the cottage once more. "Is it your home? Do you live here with your owner, maybe?"

The cat meowed, louder than he ever had and Jongin giggled.

"I don't know what you're trying to say but I do hope for you that you get to live in such a wonderful place."

Without realizing what he was doing, busy as he was looking at the marigolds, Jongin started to climb up the hill. He diligently followed the twisty path to the top as not to spoil the flowers by walking on them. He walked slowly, marveling at all the different shades of colors that he could see. They were splendid beyond words and soft to the touch.

He saw some of them with bright red petals on the inside, turning orange on the outside and he squatted in front of them to smell them better. He heard a peculiar sound coming from far behind, a door being slammed, but before he could turn around to see what was going on, someone yelled.

"Yukhei?"

Jongin jolted in fear and anxiety arose instantly. He turned on his feet with a nervous frown to see a man running down from the cottage, purple hair floating around his grinning face.

"Yukhei? Yukhei! You're home!"

Jongin blinked in confusion and the man running to him finally stopped a couple of meters away from him, looked him up and down, then breathed out with a small pout.

"You're not Yukhei," he stated matter of factly.

"Uh? No. No, I'm not. I'm sorry."

The man sighed but then laughed softly.

"Don't be sorry. It's alright. It's not your fault... I thought-... Well, you know..."

"You thought that I was Yukhei."

"I did," he giggled.

Jongin was twisting his hands. He could feel his palms get moist with anxiety. His heart was beating a little faster. A thousand thoughts sprouted everywhere in his mind. He was trespassing, very probably. A knot was forming in his throat already, tightening until it became difficult for Jongin to breathe. What if the man asked him for explanations and Jongin couldn't talk because of that knot of anxiety? What would happen then?

"Chi?"

Jongin frowned. The man wasn't looking at him anymore; he crouched and held out his arms, and Jongin saw the cat jump on him.

"I was getting a little worried," the man mumbled as he scratched the cat's head. "I wondered where you went again."

Then he looked up at Jongin, stared back at his cat who was purring in his arms, and smiled.

"And here you are, bringing cute boys home again, you rascal."

Jongin's whole face turned pink at that. The reason for his sudden fluster was mainly that the man who just complimented him happened to be extremely attractive himself and Jongin couldn't deny that it was a very pleasant thing to receive such praise from someone so ridiculously handsome. Even when the praise wasn't that uncommon in itself. Jongin didn't really like being called cute anymore; which he could never truly admit because it made him sound so full of himself. But it had become quite tiring and hurtful to hear his appearance being appreciated too often, only for his personality to be discarded and tossed aside like a dirty sock full of holes. The people calling him cute or pretty usually ended up saying he was as outstanding as a grey wall after trying to talk to him.

Still, there was something in the way the man looked at him with a cheeky grin and mischievous eyes that made Jongin's heart pound with delight. But his shyness got the upper hand, as it did so often.

"I'm sorry," he squeaked.

The man scrunched his nose while still smiling.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I uh-... Well, I came here... to your house... unwanted. I didn't mean to trespass or bother you," Jongin admitted pitifully.

His voice kept getting lower until it faded into a whisper. His head dropped and he tried to breathe slowly through his nose to calm his heart.

The flowers behind his ears fell to the ground and he looked at them with wide eyes, unable to move to pick them up as his nervousness turned his legs into stone. The man with purple hair came closer, crouched again, picked the flowers, and gave them back to Jongin with another gentle smile and a tilt of his head.

"You're not bothering me. I'm only wondering why Chi decided to bring you home."

Jongin took his flowers with shaky fingers and fixed his eyes on the cat.

"Chi? That's his name?"

"Yes. And I'm Taemin."

Jongin glanced at him but averted his eyes just as quickly, too overwhelmed with how pretty Taemin looked from up close.

"Jongin."

"Hi," Taemin said before Jongin could start fearing that it had been weird to just drop his name like that.

"Hi."

"So, how did you two meet?" Taemin asked while pressing little kisses on top of his cat's head.

Jongin watched him and couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Oh uh... At the bookstore."

"The bookstore? Now, that's interesting."

"Is it?"

Taemin hummed approvingly. Then he threw a cheeky glance at Jongin.

"We have a lot of books at home already," Taemin explained. "Plenty enough for him to read."

Taemin was smiling and Jongin couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"It was cute," he said. "I mean, I was reading and he looked at me through the window and next thing I knew, he had come inside and climbed me to nap next to me."

Taemin's eyebrows raised slightly and his eyes shone brighter.

"Which book?"

"Uh?"

"Which book were you reading?"

Jongin blinked and squirmed under Taemin's mischievous gaze.

"The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller," he mumbled.

"Aha! There it is," Taemin exclaimed triumphantly as if he had figured out a great mystery.

He hugged Chi close and started laughing in his fur. Jongin wondered what was happening exactly. It was a curious situation after all. It was a curious day altogether but still, the moment in itself was peculiar. Jongin couldn't understand what Taemin found so funny.

"Why does it matter?" he asked in a small voice.

Chi abruptly decided that he had had enough human contact for the day and leaped from Taemin's arms and onto the ground. Jongin watched him trot away up the little hill and to the cottage. His work there was done.

"It's my favorite book," Taemin said and it drew Jongin's attention back on him. He had a lovely smile on his lips. "What did you think of it?"

Jongin opened his mouth but remained silent for a moment.

Taemin was asking quite easy questions but Jongin was still deeply confused by the way Taemin talked to him so casually - as if they were old friends.

"I haven't finished it yet," Jongin said.

He chose not to dwell on how curious it was for Taemin to want to know a stranger's opinion on his favorite book. He didn't recognize the signs of a casual conversation, of trying to get to know each other, simply because he wasn't used to it.

"Oh," Taemin said with a shrug. "Alright then. Would you like some tea?"

Jongin shook his head in surprise.

"Tea?"

"I was about to have a cup of tea in the garden, would you like to join me? We could talk about books since it seems Chi brought you here for us to bond over literature."

"He did?"

Jongin's voice was high-pitched with bewilderment but if he noticed it, Taemin decided not to point it out.

"I think he's getting tired of hearing me talk all the time," Taemin chuckled. "When the others aren't here, I blabber to him constantly, you see. He must have gone out to bring me a friend so I'd leave him alone."

Jongin blinked a few times but remained silent. His mind was working fast but seemed to be stirring air as he tried to find a reasonable explanation for the situation, and ended up empty-minded.

The smile on Taemin's face weakened. He looked a little embarrassed as he forced another chuckle.

"You can choose the tea, of course. Or you know, I have coffee..."

"Oh," Jongin simply said in a moment of great eloquence.

"If you want to go away though, I-"

"No!"

Jongin almost jolted in surprise at the sound of his own refusal. Taemin's face softened again.

"No?"

"I mean, I'd like some tea," Jongin muttered. "I suppose. You know I uh-... I followed Chi all the way here... and the flowers are pretty... I could-... I could stay for a cup of tea."

Jongin nodded to his pitiful arguments. They sounded silly to him but Taemin seemed to find them perfectly valid if his shining eyes were any indication.

"Follow me!"

He turned on his heels and Jongin noticed the way his fluffy hair swirled around. He also noticed Taemin's soft perfume, like a floral bouquet.

On their way up the hill and to the cottage, Taemin asked Jongin a myriad of questions; his age, his favorite color, his favorite number, and all kinds of easy, cute, and random little questions. Unfortunately, Taemin spoke a little too fast, commenting on Jongin's answers ("I think 7 is a wonderful number indeed... a wonderful number.") and guiding him upward by grazing his hand over Jongin's elbow a couple of times, and Jongin didn't manage to ask him what was his favorite color too. So much that when they arrived in the little garden surrounded by a white fence before the cottage, Taemin knew a lot of little bits of information about Jongin, and Jongin still only knew Taemin's name, the name of his cat, and his favorite book.

Taemin slowed down when he reached his front door and turned to Jongin who was looking all around the garden in wonder. He gazed at the wall of aromatic herbs, then the iron bench, chairs, and round table in the middle of little yellow flowers, and finally the gardening accessories forgotten around; and Taemin looked at him with a strange intensity, as if he was studying him. When Jongin straightened up a little and smiled at his host, Taemin grinned back.

"Welcome to my humble dwelling," he said pompously.

Taemin theatrically pushed the door with one palm and entered, waiting for Jongin to follow him. The house opened over a little lobby and somehow, Jongin was wary as he came in. He was so caught up in his contemplation of the beautifully braided carpet taking all the space on the ground, of the low console table overwhelmed with knicks and knacks, and of the plants hanging from the ceiling with their leaves falling on his hair, that he didn't notice the way Taemin stared at him like a hawk when he crossed the doorstep, only to relax and smile once more when Jongin stood next to him shyly.

They took off their shoes and Taemin lead Jongin to his kitchen. It was the first room on the left and Jongin couldn't help but gasp as he entered. The kitchen gave the same enchanting feeling as the lobby; as if they hadn't truly entered a home but a fairy tale. Jongin had felt like he had walked in a magical realm the moment he had seen the field of marigolds, and the feeling kept growing with every new step he took up the hill and into Taemin's cottage.

The walls were of white painted wood with dark beams on the ceiling matching the pieces of furniture and counters. Jongin approached the hutch standing against the wall opposite the window and brushed it with his fingers. It was of a dark brown that somehow seemed to hold purple when the light danced on it.

Taemin opened a cupboard next to Jongin and took a couple of cups and a teapot. The kitchen was narrow and Jongin flattened against a wall not to bother his host as Taemin was waltzing around to get everything he needed. 

"The teas are in here," Taemin said while pointing to a closet not far away from where Jongin was standing and looking around in wonder.

Jongin turned around and fumbled with the boxes as he anxiously tried to decide what they could drink. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Chi come back to them through the large, dark archways. The cat glanced at them, then went away as if he had only come there to check on them and make sure Jongin was still around.

The sound of Taemin humming to himself behind him brought Jongin back to reality. He chose a tea that smelled nice, even though he had no idea what it was made of, and helped Taemin carry everything on little trays.

They went back outside to the garden and sat on the iron bench. Taemin poured them each a cup of tea and Jongin watched him silently, sitting upright and wondering what he should do or say. He murmured a thank you when Taemin slid his cup to him, and kept his eyes firmly down.

"Do you like flowers?"

Jongin looked back up and fixed his gaze on Taemin with a curious frown.

"I do, I think."

"Really?"

"I mean... I don't know much about plants but I like looking at flowers. Is that okay?"

Taemin laughed softly and brought one hand over his mouth.

"Of course it's okay. There's no wrong answer."

Jongin blushed in embarrassment and grabbed his cup of tea to hide his face. But the tea was still too hot and it burned his tongue when he tried to drink. He gasped and put it back on the table, his cheeks even redder with shame.

"I love plants more than anything."

Taemin's voice was soft, almost distant, and Jongin dared to steal a glance at him. The man was looking over the field of marigolds extending before them; he hadn't noticed Jongin's clumsiness. Or if he did, he didn't show it.

"I love them beyond reason," Taemin sighed.

Jongin blinked quickly and looked at the marigolds in turn. A very soft wind was going up the hill, making the flowers dance slightly, and bringing their scent to Jongin and Taemin.

Jongin took back his little blue flowers, the ones he had picked up on his way there. He had put them safely in his pocket after they had fallen off from his ear earlier. Jongin spread them on his palm, stroking their petals and looking at their yellow centers.

"Do you know those flowers?" he asked in a tiny voice.

Taemin looked down and smiled.

"Yes, of course. They are myosotis."

Taemin held out his hand to brush his fingers on them. Jongin didn't dare to breathe too loudly.

"Myosotis?"

"They're commonly called forget-me-not."

Jongin had heard that name before, somehow. He had always thought it was a very pretty name for flowers.

Taemin got up abruptly and scurried towards his home under Jongin's lost eyes.

"I'll be right back," he only said.

Jongin waited. He looked around the garden, sipped on his tea, and thought about the way his day had taken such an unbelievable turn, how Taemin had recognized those little flowers so quickly and effortlessly, how nice his cup of tea smelled. His thoughts were fleeting.

Taemin reappeared with papers, small cardboards, and some string. He put them all on the table and carefully took Jongin's flowers from his palm.

"We'll press them so you can keep them," he explained as he put the flowers between several sheets of paper.

He worked quickly and handed Jongin's the cardboard pieces skillfully and tightly tied together around the papers.

"There you go. Keep them like this for a couple of weeks. If you can, put some heavy books on top when you'll get home."

"Thank you," Jongin whispered.

Taemin grinned at him, then drank his tea.

His fingers fumbling with the cardboards on his lap, Jongin tried to keep the discussion going. He didn't want Taemin to be disappointed by his lack of conversation and to regret asking him to stay. His mind was going so fast, anxious that he was to appear dull and boring, that he didn't realize that the silence between them had only lasted a couple of seconds. They had seemed like entire minutes to Jongin already.

"Do you l-like to read?" he blurted out of the blue.

It was only when he saw Taemin's round eyes that Jongin remembered their previous conversation; and Taemin mentioning that they should bond over literature. Jongin's cheeks reddened once more.

"I do," Taemin said. "But tell me, what's your favorite book, Jongin?"

His eyes were shining again. Jongin opened his mouth but took a few seconds to speak. Then he told Taemin about Anne of Green Gables, his little Anne, his favorite heroine.

Jongin spoke slowly, stuttering over his words sometimes because he wasn't used to talking so much and it was difficult to put some order into his mind and opinions. But Taemin listened to him heartily. They talked about other books, and authors, and wonderful stories. After a moment, words came more easily to Jongin, they seemed to flow between them like a river. And every time Taemin spoke, Jongin looked at him: the way he scrunched his nose sometimes, the colors and shades of his hair changing with each of his moves.

They were still talking long after they had emptied the teapot, long after the sun had started its slow descent onto the sky. It lighted up the marigolds in new colors, from behind the trees.

It was only when Chi came out of the house to meow at them, that Jongin realized how late it was. When Taemin apologized profusely for keeping him here, Jongin felt his heart sank to his stomach. It suddenly occurred to him that he had to go, to leave Taemin, to leave the cottage and the marigolds. The mere thought of it filled him with sadness and, worst of all, loneliness. He felt it crawl back into his lungs where it belonged.

"Jongin?"

"Yes?"

"Would you come back?"

Jongin froze. He had been putting the teacups on one of the little trays to bring them back to the kitchen. His fingers were moist and shaky.

At Taemin's question, he looked up, eyes wide.

"You want me to come back?" Jongin asked, bewildered.

Taemin nodded with a little hum.

"If you'd like to, yes... You could uh-... You should come back to tell me what you thought of 'The Song of Achilles'."

"Yes," Jongin gasped. "Yes, I'll come then."

"Wonderful!"

Taemin picked up his tray and went back to his house. And Jongin followed him diligently, albeit on wobbly legs.

"When is it best?" Jongin asked softly. "I mean which day should I come back?"

"Any day you want."

Jongin frowned and opened his mouth to insist but Taemin grinned at him and he lost his words.

"Any hour of any day," Taemin said once more. "I'll be around anyway. Come when you want. As long as it's not too early in the morning, of course..."

The weight clawing around Jongin's heart vanished and it soared back in his chest.

He helped Taemin clean up the few dishes they had made and then picked his backpack from against the bench.

"Don't forget them," Taemin whispered next to him.

Jongin tilted his head to see Taemin smiling cheekily at him, the pressed myosotis in his hands. Jongin grabbed them shyly and thanked him.

"I'll see you soon, right?" Taemin asked as Jongin walked past the white fence gate.

"Yes," Jongin said softly.

He walked backward for a few steps, trying to take in the sight of Taemin and his cottage one last time.

"Bye," Jongin whispered.

"Bye."

"Bye."

Taemin giggled and Jongin blushed.

"Bye."

Jongin turned on his heels and went down the twisted path on the little hill. He looked back a few times, always finding Taemin waving at him and mouthing one last "bye" that caused Jongin's blush to deepen.

As soon as he walked back into the woods, Jongin sighed. He barely made three steps before turning around. Taemin was gone from his sight, all he could see were the flowers, always so enchanting.

Jongin was lost in his thoughts, all swirling around Taemin, and his feet carried him on their own. He was too lost in his daydreams to realize how strange it was that he had found his way back to the bus stop, considering he hadn't been paying attention to the path Chi had made him take when he lead him to his cottage earlier in the day.

Jongin didn't notice the surprised looks he got when he came on the bus and sat alone in the back. He was staring down at the little carboards he held tightly in his hands.

His heart was beating oddly and his emotions were all over the place. He felt sensitive and fragile, yet content and calm. His mind couldn't entirely wrap itself around the thought that he had met someone who had happily talked to him. It was sublime. It was grandiose. It was wondrous. Jongin lacked words to properly explain how impossibly happy he felt. So happy that he could have cried.

Jongin was smiling when he got off the bus and walked down the narrow streets to his little flat on the last floor of a small building. That evening, he hummed as he cooked dinner. He hummed his favorite song, the song that was the first to come to his mind most of the time. __Never Let Me Go__.

~

The next morning, as he slowly awakened from the strange land of dreams, Jongin sighed deeply. He scowled at his ceiling and tried to recollect his memories to put them together coherently. That morning, it was particularly difficult to discern souvenirs from dreams.

He thought about orange flowers, dancing in the sun, and about blue flowers with yellow centers. He could smell a faint scent of white tea and vanilla.

Jongin closed his eyes and his mind immediately painted the memory of pretty, dark eyes and lavender hair. His heart swelled. The details were so specific yet so hazy in his head that Jongin found himself unable to tell if they belonged to reality or his imagination.

He opened his eyelids once more but the blurry white ceiling still held no answers. Jongin turned his eyes to the right and pressed his cheek on his pillow. He blinked several times, rubbed his eyes, then squinted. He groped for his glasses in the faint light of his room but his fingers grabbed a book instead. Jongin straightened in his bed with a groan, turned on the light on his nightstand, and finally found his glasses. The first thing he saw was the book with the red cover that had landed on his bed. His heart jolted.

Jongin abruptly looked up and there, carefully set at the edge of his nightstand, were the cardboards Taemin had tied tightly to press the myosotis Jongin had picked in the woods. He had forgotten to put heavy books on them.

A soft, warm smile spread on Jongin's face, making him beam with happiness.

"It was a dream but it wasn't a dream," Jongin whispered.

And with that, he squirmed cheerfully in his bed.

~

If he could have, Jongin would have gone back to Taemin's cottage on that very day. Unfortunately, he had to go to work instead. Moreover, he hadn't finished the book he was supposed to read for Taemin.

Thus, he reluctantly made his way to the little post office of his village - where he worked - and spent the entire day daydreaming about flowers. He also occupied all of his little breaks and free time reading 'The Song of Achilles' until he was left sobbing on the last pages of the book, curled up in his bed.

Jongin's usually uneventful days were then filled with thoughts about the woods extending south of his village. As he waited longingly for his next day off that would allow him to visit Taemin, Jongin kept wondering if it was okay to call him his friend, in the shelter of his mind. He wondered if Taemin thought of him too. He wondered if Taemin was waiting for him.

As he sat on his couch one evening after a particularly tiring day, eating while distractedly watching the historical drama that was playing on the TV, Jongin found himself searching on his phone for orange flowers. He scrolled for a few minutes, desperately trying to find out the names of the enchanting flowers blooming in front of Taemin's house, in vain. He thought about simply asking Taemin next time they would meet, and typed 'forget-me-not' absentmindedly.

He saw pictures of those lovely flowers he had loved so much as soon as he had seen them. Then, he read of their meaning. Remembrance of the good memories. Jongin smiled sheepishly. But then his eyes lowered on the little sentence saying that myosotis also signified true love. With a soft sigh, Jongin wondered if he would ever find such a thing.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ♥  
> I wrote this story last summer; it has been my escape for four months & I'm very excited to start sharing it with you today. I love it so dearly...  
> I hope you liked that first part. There are four more to come & then, an epilog! Please look forward to them :)  
> (Oh & the whole story is already finished, each part should come really quickly!)
> 
> Let me know what you thought of it so far ♥
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonyki) // [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/Moonyki)


	2. Chapter 2

.

It only occurred to Jongin once he got off the bus at the lonely stop by the woods that he wasn't sure how to find his way back to Taemin's cottage. He first got anxious about it and then decided that maybe, by some little magic, if he happened to walk around, he might recognize some flowers and the path Chi had taken, and he could perhaps find himself before the marigolds far more easily than expected.

Unfortunately, as enchanting, mysterious, and miraculous as our story is, such a wonderful turn of events didn't happen. Not everything in Jongin's life could turn into magic after simply meeting ablack cat in a bookshop.

Jongin wandered in the woods, confused and pouty, seeing far too many spots of myosotis along the way, to the point where, frustrated, he began doubting Taemin's very existence. It seemed to him that all the trees around looked the same and he had lost the path he had initially been following. 

Jongin crouched down in front of a patch of wildflowers and hugged his knees. His never-stopping mind was already picturing some dramatic scenarios of him walking around the whole afternoon and going home defeated. He was already wondering if he would ever see Taemin again. If Taemin would forget about him. If Taemin would worry and think that, in the end, Jongin hadn't wanted to come back at all.

But a soft little meow drew Jongin out of his dejected thoughts. He perked up with a gasp and turned his head to find Chi, sitting not so far away from him, his tail swaying behind him.

"Chi!" Jongin squealed. "You're here! You found me! Oh, you have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Jongin fell on his knees and came closer to the cat who met him halfway and jumped on Jongin's lap with another small meowing.

"Hello," Jongin said with a little laugh as he scratched the cat's head.

For a few minutes, all Jongin did was petting him and Chi seemed to relish in the attention. Eventually, Jongin leaned to pressed his face on top of the cat's head.

"Chi, would you show me the way to your home again?" he asked in a shy murmur.

Chi let out a little noise that sounded like a sigh, then he shimmied out of Jongin's hold and leaped to the ground. Without a look back, he walked away, and Jongin was quick to bounce back on his feet to follow him.

Jongin tried to pay attention to the path they took even if he knew it was probably no use since he wasn't sure how far away from the bus stop he had already wandered.

When they reached a place that looked familiar, Jongin felt butterflies took off in his stomach. From afar, he could see the patches of orange, yellow, and red. And he grinned.

The sight of the field of marigolds was as breathtaking as the first time Jongin's eyes had fallen on them. He could hear the sound of birds chirping around and the very soft breeze going through the trees behind him. And when he turned his head to the hill and saw Taemin's cute cottage, Jongin barely contained his squeal of joy.

He took a couple of minutes simply to enjoy the view and let relief and bliss fill him up in waves. When he looked down, Chi had gone away.

Then, Jongin glanced back at the cottage. Before he could even comprehend what he was doing, he ran. He only stopped halfway through the hill to breathe and calm down. He didn't want to be out of breath when he would see Taemin again; he didn't want to look like an idiot, so eager to see him that he would sprint up a hill to get to him faster. Jongin let out a nervous laugh and balled his fists. He inhaled deeply and walked up the rest of the way quickly.

He heard Taemin before he even saw him. He was singing very softly, a song that Jongin knew he had heard already, without being able to pinpoint where and when.

" _ _Fate is kind... She brings to those who love... The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing...__ "

Jongin bit his lip as he came closer to find Taemin kneeling on the ground, with a large straw hat and brown gloves on his hands, taking care of the plants next to his white fence.

Taemin stopped his song in the middle abruptly and Jongin breathed sharply as he watched him turn around with wide eyes, only to break into a large grin when he saw him.

"Oh, Jonginnie!"

"Hi," Jongin croaked.

Taemin got up and quickly took his gloves off as he scurried closer to Jongin. He stopped in front of him, looked him up and down, and pouted. He seemed to be struggling, his face twitched nervously and he held out his hands only to draw them back against his chest and then patted Jongin's shoulder awkwardly.

"Hi," Taemin breathed out sheepishly while hoping that Jongin somehow hadn't noticed his pathetic attempt at covering his wish to hug him.

Thankfully for him, Jongin was very far from even considering such a possibility.

"I hope I'm not bothering you," Jongin said.

"Oh, not at all. Not at all. I'm so glad you came back. How are you?"

Taemin looked positively delighted to see him and it eased the remnants of Jongin's worries.

Taemin's hand on Jongin's shoulder dropped softly to his elbow as he pulled him forward and into his little garden.

"I'm fine. I mean, great. And uh-... and you?"

Taemin tilted his head with a little scrunch of his nose that caused Jongin's heart to leap.

"I'm having a wonderful day, thank you. See, I was just done taking care of my gladiolus. Aren't they lovely?"

Jongin blinked and looked down as the curious pink flowers, piled up together over their stems.

"Yes," he nodded, "yes, they are."

Taemin's smile widened even more and he sneaked his hand to wrap it around Jongin's arm.

"I've been waiting for you, you know. I have many things to tell you. First, I've read Anne of Green Gables, so we must talk about it. But oh! Oh! Wait, I have something for you first."

Before Jongin could do anything, before he could fully realize that Taemin had read his favorite book and all that it implied, before he could have an emotional breakdown about it, Taemin left his side and dashed to his front door. He entered and spoke loudly for Jongin to hear.

"Come in, come, come. I must have left it around..."

With a giddy smile and weak legs, Jongin followed him inside. He took off his shoes in the little hall and peeked around through the archways to see where Taemin could be. He heard him in the room right in front of the entrance and shyly made his way there.

It was a very large room, with the same white wood and brown beams as Jongin had seen in the kitchen. The opposite wall consisted of large windows with flimsy, white curtains, opening to what seemed to be a back garden. Jongin saw all kinds of pieces of furniture around, all more cluttered than the one before. It was a happy, cozy mess of curiosities, pillows, thrown clothes, and unusual objects. On the sides, Jongin saw other archways leading to other parts of the house and for some reason, the fact that the inside of the house was impossibly larger than it appeared on the outside didn't cross his mind.

What threw Jongin off though, was the small, round pond encircled by stones blending into the parquet floor very naturally that stood around the left corner of the room.

Jongin blinked once, twice, then called Taemin who was still rummaging through a large trunk somewhere on his right.

"Excuse-me... Why is there a pond in the middle of your living-room?" Jongin asked with a dumbfounded expression.

Taemin straightened up at last with both hands behind his back and a cheeky smile on his lips. He came closer to Jongin and tilted his head cutely before he said, very casually:

"Oh, I don't have a pond in the middle of my house, Jongin. I have a house all around my pond."

Jongin frowned. He was no further ahead and yet, that simple explanation seemed to be making so much sense to Taemin that Jongin didn't dare to question it.

Then, Taemin brought his hands between them, proudly showing off a thick, beautiful flower crown made of marigolds.

"I made it for you."

Jongin stared at it. His jaw fell open in surprise but he was speechless.

"You seemed to like our marigolds, the other day," Taemin said softly, brushing his fingers over one of the flowers. "So I put together different species for you."

He looked up to Jongin and gently put the crown over his head; his eyes shone when he saw the blush spreading on Jongin's face.

All that Jongin could think of was that he had learned the name of the beautiful orange flowers and he wished to remember it. __Marigolds__.

"I don't think marigolds are your flowers," Taemin said.

His words stung Jongin's heart despite how soft and tender his voice was. Jongin couldn't explain why, but it hurt him.

"They suit you well though. You're very pretty," Taemin continued nonchalantly.

"Why aren't marigolds my flowers?"

Jongin didn't know how to react anymore. He was still pouting from Taemin's statement but blushing bright red from the compliment the man had given him while standing so close to him.

"Marigolds are also called Herb of the Sun," Taemin said distractedly as if it was part of the explanation. "They represent creativity, but mostly passion... A burning, carefree passion. Oh but, I didn't mean to hurt you... I just think that... they're not quite you, you know. After all, I planted them for Yukhei."

Jongin froze. It was that name again. He felt a pang in his heart and as much as he tried not to show it, Jongin knew that Taemin would be able to see it in his eyes. His confusion. His slight, inexplicable sadness. If he hadn't thought much about it the first time he had heard that name, he then wondered who that Yukhei was.

He felt Taemin's fingers under his chin, lifting his face slowly.

"I'm sorry... Did I upset you?"

"No, I-...," Jongin murmured.

His voice fainted and his thoughts were left unsaid.

"I didn't mean to," Taemin insisted. "There's no harm in wearing any flower, even the ones that aren't yours. It's just that-... I can't help thinking about such things... Flowers language, I mean. I like trying to determine which flower can best represent or illustrate someone. Call it my hobby."

Jongin let out a nervous little snort and Taemin smiled at him.

"What are my flowers, then?" Jongin asked with a pout.

"I don't know yet. We've barely met after all..." Taemin theatrically said. "I will let you know as soon as I'll have it figured out!"

Jongin nodded and brought one hand to his flower crown to feel its petals under the pulp of his fingers. Only then did he realize what had happened.

Taemin had made him a flower crown. Taemin had seen that Jongin was mesmerized with those flowers on his first visit and decided to make him a flower crown. Jongin bit his bottom lip to keep it from wobbling.

"Thank you," he said.

Taemin shrugged it off and turned around to hide from Jongin the blush that was spreading on his cheeks and was reddening his ears.

"We should get something to drink," Taemin offered in a high-pitched voice as he trotted to his kitchen. "Some lemonade? Apple juice? What do you prefer?"

Jongin followed along, answering that some apple juice would be perfect, and Taemin brought two glasses and a large carafe on the same little flowery trail they had used the first time. Taemin asked him about the last few days they had spent apart, which led Jongin to reveal where he worked shyly.

It wasn't a terrible job per se but it was a little boring most of the time, especially in such a small village where Jongin lived. He was at the desk of the post office, helping people stamping their packages, sorting letters before they got delivered, and such things. The truth was that Jongin didn't know what else he could do. He had worked there for quite a while; the job he had taken while waiting to find something better, to find what he truly wanted to do, had simply become his routine. Taemin nodded softly through Jongin's faint explanations, without ever losing his gentle smile.

"I understand it might be lonely and repetitive," Taemin said, "but you will find your path, I'm sure of it."

Jongin simply nodded and his flower crown shook slightly on his head. Sometimes, Taemin glanced at it and then grinned to himself, and Jongin liked that sight a lot.

They went to the back garden, through the French doors of the living room. There was a very small patch of grass, barely enough for a couple of people to stand next to each other before the marigolds took over. Yet, revealing itself shyly between the flowers was a twisty little path, even narrower than the one leading to the front of the house. Taemin led Jongin through it, happily walking away and back to the forest.

"Where are we going?" Jongin asked.

"Somewhere."

Jongin followed Taemin diligently between trees and bushes until they reached a meadow that caused Jongin to gawk. He hadn't truly known what to expect but the sight exceeded his wildest hopes. Broad, leafy, and blooming shrubs with dangling flowers of a magnificent pale bluish-lilac color were spreading a delightful scent everywhere. They had beautiful dark trunks and branches, with bright green leaves. Something about them felt out of this world.

The feeling of stepping into a fairy tale came back to Jongin's mind.

He felt Taemin nudge him softly and he turned to look at him.

"It's so beautiful!" Jongin breathed out. "Everything about this place is so beautiful..."

Taemin grinned at him and kept walking to go sit on the soft grass under one of the trees.

"Thank you! They are wisterias. They're... kind of __my__ trees, you know."

Jongin sat next to him with a little smirk. It made sense to him more than he could express or even fully comprehend.

Taemin brought his hair away from his face and raised his nose as he leaned against the trunk of the shrub.

"So, Jongin-ah, tell me... Have you finished my favorite book yet?"

Jongin told him all the wonderful things he had thought about the said book; how much he had adored it, how much it had made him cry during the last chapters. They whispered eagerly about their favorite parts and Jongin kept letting little nervous laughs that had Taemin smiling fondly. The fact that someone was so interested in his opinion and so happy to be talking about books with him caused Jongin to tremble sometimes and stutter over his words all over again. He wasn't used to voicing his thoughts and forgot where his sentences were heading halfway through them, making his speech disorganized and chaotic, but Taemin still looked at him ever so kindly, patiently waiting for him as Jongin stopped talking, sighed, then reworded his sentence completely. When Jongin got frustrated with himself, scrunched his face, and bit his lips, Taemin hummed softly, reminded him where he had left off, and adjusted the crown of marigolds on his head. Somehow, the simple gesture calmed Jongin down and made him feel safe.

Later, Taemin told him that he had loved reading Anne of Green Gables and planned to read the next books of the series, and Jongin asked him a thousand questions about every little twist and detail of the story.

They shifted and gradually leaned more comfortably on the ground until they were practically lying in the grass. At some point, Chi came to them and curled up against Jongin's chest to take a nap.

They talked without really noticing time passing by, exactly like the first time. They talked until the sky grew darker and they ended up hungry and sore from their weird positions on the ground.

When Jongin said he should leave, Taemin picked a small cluster of flowers from the wisteria above them and handed it to him.

"Thank you," Jongin said softly as he held it preciously.

"Wisteria flowers are a sign of affection," Taemin confessed.

Jongin widened his eyes and immediately looked up to him. He knew his cheeks were turning pink already. Taemin was beaming.

"Toward someone that you just met, specifically," Taemin continued. His smile was a little cheeky. "When you feel very comfortable with someone despite not knowing them for long, when you already feel a special relationship forming, you can use the wisteria flowers to convey your affection. So... I'm giving those flowers to you. Come back to see me again, Jongin-ah. Please."

To point out that Jongin was overwhelmed would be a ridiculous understatement. With teary eyes and trembling lips, Jongin promised Taemin that he would visit him again very soon.

And he did.

Jongin came back to Taemin every afternoon that he had free. On his third visit, he managed to find Taemin's cottage easily and memorized the way there perfectly. Taemin offered him some biscuits he had gotten on a market to go with their tea. They talked about movie adaptations of books, then completely changed subjects to talk about music and Taemin admitted that he could play the piano. He promised to play, one day, for Jongin.

Taemin asked for Jongin's help one afternoon, as he was taking care of his marigolds. Jongin liked it so much that Taemin offered that they garden together again. He taught him about the proper way to repot plants and how to care for the aromatic herbs planted under the kitchen window. There was something about gardening, especially with Taemin, that Jongin found soothing beyond words.

Sometimes, they didn't even have to talk. They could sit next to each other in silence and read in the garden, or repot houseplants, and Jongin would be happy.

Then, other times, they had long discussions in the gardens, for hours, talking about their dreams and wishes.

The flower crown Taemin had made Jongin had dried and Jongin kept it very preciously, like a treasure, in his bedroom. One afternoon, after Jongin mentioned it mindlessly, pouting that he wished he could still wear it without threatening to destroy its very fragile, dried leaves, Taemin had decided to teach him how to make a new one. It had become quite rare to see Jongin walking around Taemin's cottage without flowers in his hair.

Jongin ended up appearing at the bottom of the marigolds hill every time he could, even only for a few hours.

~

Taemin brought Jongin to his favorite room in his whole house: his library. It was a nice room in the attic, under the sloping roof, packed from floor to ceiling with books on wooden shelves. There was a skylight, under which Taemin had put armchairs and a round table. The room was so immense, with sliding bookshelves hiding always more volumes, that Jongin was certain Taemin had an even bigger collection than Kim Junmyeon's bookstore.

"I've never seen so many books in my life," he gasped, eyes wide, as he tried to take in the unbelievable amount of books extending before his eyes.

Taemin had a smug smile dancing on his lips.

"It's not as big as the library in Beauty and the Beast but it's still nice, right?"

Jongin froze at that and turned to look at him before he began giggling.

"That library always made me dream as a child," he whispered.

"Me too," Taemin giggled.

"Have you read all of them? Your books, I mean."

"Oh dear, no. Do you realize how many books there are? How old do you think I am?"

Jongin laughed harder and tapped Taemin's arm softly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"They aren't all mine," Taemin said as they kept walking through the immense room. "Most belong to Chi, actually."

Jongin chuckled but didn't comment on what he thought was a joke, and he turned to one bookshelf to look at the way Taemin had organized little sections depending on genres.

"And I keep Yukhei's books too. There's also the fact that I keep buying new books even when the pile I have to read is already overwhelming..."

Jongin closed his eyes and sighed, so softly and quietly that, thankfully, Taemin didn't hear him. He didn't dare to turn around, he didn't dare to look at him when he spoke. His voice was faint with shame.

"Yukhei... is he your... uh... significant other?"

He tried to sound casual, almost indifferent. He tried to sound like he was asking a random question, like he didn't truly care that much. But he failed. His voice broke a little.

Behind him, Taemin's face softened. His gaze on Jongin was fond and tender. Jongin didn't see it.

"No, he's not," Taemin answered. "He's only a very dear friend. Nothing more."

"But uh-... You live together," Jongin said under his breath.

"He travels, you know. Constantly. But he has a bedroom here and I keep a lot of his things so he has a place to return to. So he has a home. I suppose that yes, technically, we live together."

"Oh."

Jongin cleared his throat and straightened a little as he attempted to conceal his embarrassment by moving slightly to his right and pretend he was still looking at book covers. Taemin came closer to stand next to him and leaned against Jongin's shoulder playfully.

"Do you live alone?"

"Yes, I do."

Taemin glanced at him and hummed with a little nod.

After that afternoon, they found themselves in the library quite often, comfortably sitting on armchairs, their feet touching on the footrest. Taemin liked to rub his feet against Jongin's just to see him squirm and pout for him to stop. It was particularly cozy to shelter themselves there when it rained.

~

"Taemin?"

"Yes?"

Jongin opened his mouth -Taemin heard him inhale sharply- but he remained silent.

They were sitting in Taemin's living-room, not so far away from each other, dusting plants. It was a little task Jongin had never thought he would see himself do, mainly because he didn't even know some plants needed dusting. Taemin had shown him how to care for the houseplants all over his place, slowly but surely, until Jongin was the one reminding him that the fig tree needed some attention.

It was calming to tend to plants and clean their leaves. Jongin liked it very much.

But on that day, his mind was a little clouded. There were things he had kept thinking the last three days he had spent away from the little cottage in the woods. He had been too busy with family events to visit Taemin and he had felt the change in his mood.

Jongin was staring at the anthurium he was gently handling; he knew that Taemin was looking at him and waiting for him to speak but as too often, all the words in his mind couldn't order themselves in proper sentences.

Taemin had a little smile as he turned back to the calathea in front of him. He moved his leg so his foot bumped into Jongin's thigh softly.

"It's just me, Jonginnie. Speak as you think."

Jongin glanced at him with a relieved frown and breathed out when he noticed that Taemin was back to work. Taemin had noticed that sometimes, his full attention was too much for Jongin who wasn't used to being listened to. So he waited silently, keeping his hands busy but always being attentive to his friend nearby; and Jongin was eternally grateful for it.

"Are you happy when I come?"

Jongin's voice was tiny and quiet. His words shocked Taemin so much that he straightened up to stare at him, causing Jongin to blush and avert his eyes in slight shame.

"Of course, I am," Taemin stammered in confusion. "Did I do something to make you doubt that?"

"No," Jongin immediately gasped. "I just-... You know, I was just t-thinking. And wondering."

Taemin observed him for a moment, then he pushed his calathea away and made his way to Jongin in little hops on his butt. He tilted his head to try to catch Jongin's gaze but his friend was doing his best to avoid his eyes.

"I love having you around. And when you aren't, I mostly spend my time wishing you were here."

"Really?"

Jongin stole a timid glance at him and Taemin grinned.

"Really."

"You know..." Jongin inhaled deeply and Taemin relaxed next to him.

He brought one of his hands on Jongin's knee and squeezed it softly. Jongin looked like he was about to say something important, but for a while, he simply stayed with his mouth open, staring at the flowers of Taemin's anthurium.

"Being here makes me happy," Jongin said softly, slowly, with a gentleness so fragile it was touching. "When I arrive and I see you smiling at me... I'm just really happy. And I also spend all my time wishing I was here. Sometimes I get self-conscious and suddenly, I'm scared to be too uh-... I mean, to overwhelm you, to be here too much, to keep you from things you might want to do alone... But then, you just smile and my worries vanish as if they were never there."

Taemin was pursing his lips and refraining himself from talking, to let Jongin voice everything he needed. He loved the moments when Jongin's concerns and apprehension fell to the ground softly, like a veil of silk, and he could speak more freely, ordering his thoughts in ways that never failed to make Taemin's heart flutter.

"I don't think you realize how grateful I am," Jongin continued in a tight voice. "I don't think I ever told you how grateful I am. But uhm... when I'm here, with you, taking care of your plants and just... reading together... I feel safe. And it's not a feeling I get so often, especially around other people. And I've always craved-... I always crave that feeling. I've always craved a feeling of belonging. That's what I get when I'm here. When I'm near you. I feel like I belong. But then... I don't know if it's okay for me to feel like this."

"It's okay," Taemin couldn't help breathing out.

Jongin looked up to him. There was something delicate in his eyes that caused Taemin's heart to topple over.

"Is it?"

"I'm really happy to know you feel safe here."

Taemin kept himself from rhapsodizing about it only because he could feel that Jongin had more on his heart and in his mind. Jongin tried to blink away the tears in his eyes.

"It's just that-..." Jongin mumbled. "You're so patient with me... All those times when people would have just walked away in frustration... you just wait and-... I don't know if you realize what it means to me."

"You're worth waiting for. Very much, actually."

Jongin looked up to the ceiling with a shy smile and sniffed to regain control of his emotions before he glanced back at Taemin.

"How is it that you always know what to say and what to do?" Jongin asked.

Taemin wiggled his eyebrows dumbly and Jongin let out a chuckle.

"I'm a little magical."

"You sure are."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment and if Taemin noticed the intensity in Jongin's eyes right then, he didn't say anything about it.

As he felt his cheeks getting redder the longer he tried to hold up Taemin's gaze, Jongin finally broke that little thing -whatever it was- happening between them and breathed out as he brought his attention back on the plant before him.

He didn't see Taemin's fond, amused smile.

"I think I'm done with this one," Jongin said. His voice was slightly more high-pitched than usual. "I'll take care of the rubber fig now..."

~

The first time that Jongin came to the cottage and found the garden empty and the front door locked, he was confused. Taemin was usually always there as if waiting for him. And it was only as he stood awkwardly before the white fence that Jongin realized how little he still knew about Taemin. He had no idea what Taemin did for work; his friend had by some means always managed to dodge the question and to bring the conversation to another subject. Jongin knew next to nothing about Taemin's life outside of what he was doing inside his cottage.

At some point, Jongin had gathered all of his meager courage to ask for Taemin's number, only to see his friend pout with red cheeks and murmur that even though he did possess a very old phone (and he hadn't been joking; Jongin had seen his prehistoric flip phone), he rarely used it and constantly lost and forgot it. Still, after seeing Jongin's small and defeated face, Taemin had eagerly said that they could still exchange numbers but that it probably wouldn't be very effective.

The joy of adding a new contact into his phone had been short-lived when, exactly as he had said, Taemin forgot to answer the few messages Jongin had sent him.

But even if he would have loved to be able to talk to Taemin the few days when he was too busy to visit him, Jongin dealt with it rather good, mostly because he knew that as soon as he would arrive in front of the field of marigolds, he would be welcomed by Taemin's beaming grin and his sweeping babbles about every single thing he had thought of while they had been away from each other.

The silence that met Jongin on that lovely afternoon was a little disappointing. He stared for a moment at the marigolds dancing under the soft breeze and wondered if he should go away or wait for Taemin. With a soft sigh, Jongin glanced at the closed door and shyly walked away to the iron bench where he sat. He stayed immobile for a moment, still pondering what to do. The thought of getting back home to spend his day sitting on his sofa being sad about missing Taemin wasn't really appealing but he also couldn't help but doubt if his friend would be happy to see him there or not. And what if he waited for hours for nothing? What if Taemin had gone away for a couple of days to visit friends or family?

Jongin closed his eyes and let out a deep, audible breath. When he opened his eyelids again, he saw the marigolds and the loveliest thoughts came back to his mind: Taemin's smile when he saw him walking up the hill, Taemin's shining eyes and quick nods when Jongin asked if he could come back to see him on the next day, Taemin's little pout every time Jongin had to go away. It gave him enough courage to sit more comfortably on the iron bench, take off his small backpack, and grab the book he brought everywhere with him those days.

At some point, he heard a little meowing. The sight of Chi trotting his way to him filled Jongin with comfort and happiness, and he greeted him with a grin. The black cat jumped on Jongin's lap and made a series of whining noises as if he was trying to tell the human everything about his day so far. He only calmed down when Jongin started to pet him and scratch his head.

Chi brought his nose to Jongin's face, looked at him carefully, then curled up on his lap, and started purring.

"I'm happy to see you too," Jongin said softly.

For a few hours, he read on the bench in Taemin's garden with Chi napping on him, a heavy and reassuring weight on his chest.

~

"Who are you?"

The low voice seemed to have come out of nowhere. It startled Jongin so much that he yelped and jolted, letting go of his book and awakening Chi in the process, who hissed in displeasure.

Jongin looked up and straightened up on the bench with a laborious breath due to his suddenly spiking nervousness.

Two men were looking at him, standing behind the white fence marking Taemin's garden. One of them was scary; that was Jongin's first thought. He had striking white hair covering his forehead and piercing blue eyes staring directly into Jongin's. There was a faint, straight scar marking his nose and cheekbones; Jongin didn't dare to stare at it for too long. The man had a troubling aura; one that conjured the knot of anxiousness in Jongin's throat so fast and held it so tight that for a moment, Jongin thought he couldn't breathe.

"I asked you a question, boy," he said in a snobbish tone.

Jongin was pretty sure that they were around the same age but he didn't dare to say anything about it. He hummed in confusion and the man sighed.

"Who are you?" he asked again.

The other man nudged him softly with a disapproving frown.

"Baekhyun, be nice."

"I didn't say anything wrong!"

"It's your tone," the smaller one reproached him. "You don't have to be so abrupt."

"I'm not abrupt," Baekhyun whined. "That boy is here chilling in Taemin's garden, and it's the first time I ever see him, and I'm merely asking who is he, and he ain't even answering me... He's the rude one."

"You surprised him and jumped at him; I, too, would be too scared to answer."

Jongin looked at them in turn as they argued under his nose. It all seemed a little surreal to him. He tried to remember if Taemin ever mentioned someone named Baekhyun, but couldn't find any memory back.

The second man was smaller, petite even, with blond hair stroking his cheeks. Everything from his big, round, black eyes, to his quiet voice, made him look soft, almost ethereal. A total contrast to his ominous companion.

Somehow, as soon as his friend expressed empathy to Jongin's anxious misery, Baekhyun stopped complaining.

"You don't have to be scared of me."

"I'm not the one you should say this to."

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and looked back at Jongin. And Jongin wished he hadn't.

"I'm sorry, I guess. But still, who are you?"

Jongin blinked. He saw the second man sigh loudly and enter the garden to come closer to him. He looked at Jongin gently and offered him a small smile.

"Hi, I'm Taeyong. The rude individual with me is Baekhyun. We're friends with Taemin."

"And more importantly, I'm Taeyong's lover," Baekhyun exclaimed.

Taeyong turned back to scowl at him.

"How is that relevant right now?"

"It's always relevant."

"I swear to all the Gods..."

"He still hasn't answered me by the way. And where is Taemin? Why is this boy here while Taemin isn't home?"

Jongin could feel his heart thundering. He was sweating and as much as he wished they didn't, he knew his eyes were getting teary. He had been so calm, so serene just minutes ago, reading with Chi's reassuring weight on him. Oh, how he wished Baekhyun and Taeyong could disappear and let him go back to that.

"Well, Chittaphon is with him so clearly, he is welcomed here," Taeyong pointed out in a mutter.

"Right," Baekhyun blurted as he looked down at Chi, still grumpy from his abrupt awakening. "Hi there, munchkin. It's been a long time."

Chi meowed and turned away from him to glance at Jongin.

Suddenly, the only thought left in Jongin's mind was the utter perplexity of learning that Chi's full name was Chittaphon.

"May I ask your name?"

Jongin blinked a couple of times before he realized that Taeyong was speaking to him. At last, he found the shadow of his voice back.

"I'm Jongin," he whispered.

Baekhyun lightened up and finally came closer.

"He can speak, wonderful! So now, where is Taemin?"

Jongin exhaled loudly and brought his hands together in Chi's fur with the hope that it could stop them from trembling.

"I uh-... I don't know."

Baekhyun's face darkened.

"When will he come back?"

"I don't know."

"How long has he been gone already?"

"I- I don't know..."

"Is there anything you know at all?" Baekhyun sighed dramatically.

Jongin opened his mouth but remained quiet. The tears in his eyes were threatening to flow down his cheeks any second and he was trying to control the sobs going up to his throat. Before Taeyong could turn around and put Baekhyun back in his place, Chi glared at him and hissed.

"Baekhyun!" Taeyong grumbled.

Baekhyun widened his eyes with a little exclamation of offense as if he couldn't understand why both Taeyong and Chi would be upset with him. He saw the cat rub his head against Jongin's chest and only then, he seemed to realize the distressed state he had put that poor man into.

"Hey... Don't cry," he whispered in a hush as he flailed.

Jongin sniffed with red cheeks but couldn't find it in himself to utter anything. He lowered his head and let Chi rub himself all over his face.

He felt Taeyong take his hand and squeeze it slightly.

"Listen, I'm sorry. Baekhyun is a little boorish and indelicate sometimes but he's not mean. It's very unusual to find someone new at Taemin's place... Are you two friends?"

"I'm not mean," Baekhyun repeated like a parrot.

"You're only a little impatient," Taeyong teased him with a smile.

Jongin took a deep inhale and retreated his hand from Taeyong's hold.

"I was only-... I uh-... I will go home. Sorry."

He squirmed and Chi promptly jumped away from his thighs, not without throwing him a forlorn glance but Jongin didn't see it. He grabbed his bag and the voices of Taeyong and Baekhyun bickering in whispers behind him fainted under the loud sounds of his heart beating fast and hard to the point of making him dizzy. With shaky legs, Jongin left the garden and kept his eyes lowered to the ground as he walked as fast as he could on the little path back to the forest. Then, he heard a jolly voice.

"Hi there!"

Jongin immediately looked up to find Taemin proudly holding a big basket full of wild cherries. The large grin on his face vanished as soon as he noticed Jongin's overwhelmed expression.

Taemin gasped and quickly got to him. He put his basket on the ground before he brought his hands on Jongin's elbows, looking up to him with worried eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong, Jonginnie?"

Jongin opened his mouth but the knot clasped around his throat was too tight, his mind was too troubled; he couldn't speak. Taemin pushed his fringe away from his forehead with a soft hand and stroked Jongin's hair gently.

"What happened?" he asked again in a voice full of tenderness.

Jongin closed his eyes, unable to decide what to do. He was ashamed of the way he had reacted to Taemin's friends, ashamed of his inability to speak, ashamed of being so shaky and vulnerable in front of Taemin. Before he could decide what to do, he heard Taeyong's voice coming from afar.

"Hi, Taeminnie!"

Taemin frowned, tilted his head away from Jongin, and noticed his two friends looking at them bashfully.

"Oh, you're here!"

Then, it occurred to him. Taemin stared at his friends, glanced back at Jongin, and scowled at Baekhyun.

"Yah, Baekhyun! What have you done to my Jonginnie?"

Baekhyun wheezed and hid behind Taeyong who nudged him harshly.

"I may have been a little sharp inadvertently..."

"Oh, you think?" Taeyong snorted.

Taemin opened his mouth but Jongin's hand grabbing his wrist abruptly cut off his thoughts before he could voice any remonstrance. Taemin looked back at him and his eyes softened again. He saw the way Jongin was gritting his teeth, he saw his wide eyes staring at the ground, he saw his red cheeks. Jongin was mortified beyond words and Taemin gently took his hand to bring him down the hill and a little further from the house. When he was sure that Baekhyun and Taeyong couldn't hear them anymore, he stroked Jongin's cheek and spoke as quietly as he could.

"Jonginnie, I'm sorry he made you uncomfortable."

Jongin sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

"I don't-... I-... It's j-just-..."

His thoughts were running in circle and he couldn't find his words. Nothing made sense anymore. Why he reacted so strongly. Why he couldn't speak. Jongin was terrified; he had no idea how to explain his feelings to Taemin. What if Taemin thought he was overreacting? What if he found him too dramatic?

When he heard himself stutter, Jongin whined plaintively.

"Jonginnie, look at me."

With a defeated sigh, Jongin obeyed. Taemin gave him a tiny, gentle smile.

"You're okay. Please, don't be scared. It's only me."

Jongin let out a shaky breath.

"Do you want or need to go away now?"

Jongin opened his mouth, but even if he could have managed to talk, he simply didn't know what to answer. He needed to go away but he didn't want to. Not when Taemin was finally here. He knew that if he went away, he would spend the rest of the day overthinking all that happened and wondering if Taemin hated him.

"If you need to go, I'll understand," Taemin said softly. "I can take you to the bus stop if you want. And you'll come back whenever you'll feel ready."

Jongin sighed. His body relaxed at last and his eyes fell back to the ground.

"But I'll be very happy if you stay. We could make tea. And we'll eat the cherries I found..."

"I don't know."

"Whatever you decide is okay. I'll protect you from Baekhyun, I swear."

Jongin took a long inhale and looked right into Taemin's eyes. There was no tiredness, no annoyance, no exasperation in them.

"I can ask them to leave if you want..."

"No," Jongin quickly squeaked. "I just-... I'm n-not-..."

Taemin waited for a moment but Jongin couldn't order his thoughts.

"You're not used to being around people?" Taemin asked.

Jongin nodded.

"Baekhyun can be a handle."

"I think he hates me," Jongin murmured.

"How could anyone hate you?"

Jongin had a list of people who had more or less expressed their annoyance, anger, hatred toward him, his stutter, his way of speaking, and his general existence. But the innocent way Taemin said that, with the most disarming confusion painted on his face, made something bloom inside Jongin.

"He's a sneaky fox who doesn't realize his insolence, which is pretty amazing considering his age, you know... One would think aging would make him wiser... but he's all bark and no bite."

The comment on Baekhyun's age caused Jongin to blink. He wondered how old the man was but he was far too flustered to ask about it.

"I'm embarrassed," Jongin finally whispered.

"You don't have to be," Taemin smiled. "I have moments when I can't be around other people too."

Taemin knew it wasn't the same, he knew he couldn't pretend to know what Jongin felt at that moment; Jongin could see it in his eyes. Yet, his gentle words reassured Jongin; he hadn't meant to tone down Jongin's feelings but rather the situation.

"Would you like to have a secret code?" Taemin asked.

Jongin frowned and Taemin's smile turned mischievous.

"Just for us. We choose a word and if one of us says it, the other one can bring him away and to safety."

It was silly how Taemin worded it, pretending that he might need such a code himself. Jongin smiled. His whole body loosened.

"Which word?"

"What about 'myosotis'? We don't have to put it in a sentence. We can just whisper it or mouth it. If we say myosotis, no question asked, we leave together, deal?"

"Deal."

Taemin grinned. He took Jongin's hand and linked their pinkies as proof of their promise.

"Perfect. Now, do you prefer to stay or leave?"

"I want to stay with you," Jongin admitted quietly.

"Are you sure?"

Jongin nodded. Taemin looked at him fondly and Jongin felt cared for.

Taemin laced their fingers and lead Jongin back to his cottage, grabbing his basket of cherries on the way. Taemin told him that he had gone for a little walk through the forest up to the orchards outlying Jongin's village - the ones owned by the Park family – where he had picked some fruits. When they reached the garden, Jongin tightened his hold on Taemin's hand and walked closer to him, as if Taemin could shield him from his friends' view. Baekhyun looked sheepish as he waved at them awkwardly.

"We're going to make tea," Taemin said as a greeting. "You can join us if you want."

"With pleasure," Taeyong grinned.

Taemin gave his basket of cherries to Jongin, quietly asking him to carry it just so he could keep holding his hand even as he opened the door. Then he motioned for Jongin to enter first, and Jongin saw him wave his hand in the doorway as he followed him.

"Byun Baekhyun, I invite you in," Taemin said quite solemnly.

Jongin looked back with a frown but didn't question Taemin's strange demeanor. Soon, Taemin was pushing him into the kitchen with a smile.

"Will you help me rinse the cherries, Jonginnie?"

Jongin, who truly didn't want to be left out on the side or worse, left alone around Baekhyun, immediately agreed and trotted to the sink. To his relief, he saw Baekhyun cry out after Chi and hunt the cat down to the living-room screaming that he had missed him greatly.

Jongin stood in front of the sink, blinking shyly as Taemin waltzed behind him to get a bowl and a towel, and stroked Jongin's lower back as he passed him. He was talking about his encounter with the young son of the Park family, a kind man named Chanyeol who had helped him get the best cherries, as he prepared a kettle of water to boil. Then he came back to Jongin to cling to his side and help him get the fruits ready to eat.

"Taeyong-ah, will you pick a tea?"

Jongin jolted slightly and turned around to see Taeyong, leaning against an archway, nod softly as he came closer.

"How did you two meet?" Taeyong asked with a little smirk that Jongin wasn't sure how to interpret.

Taemin's grin widened and he looked up to Jongin while scrunching his nose.

"It was all thanks to Chi'," Taemin chirped. "He brought me Jonginnie one afternoon and somehow I managed to convince him to come back to me again and again."

"Is that how it went?" Jongin said softly.

His cheeks were tainted a soft pink and he didn't dare to look up to anyone – and certainly not Taeyong.

"Isn't it?"

Taemin was leaning against him, deliberately invading his personal space, and Jongin finally glanced at him with a tiny smile.

"I thought I was the one who managed to convince you to let me come back."

Taemin's eyes shone with mischief as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"What's important is that we're both cunning little idiots who want to be around each other, aren't we?"

Jongin opened his mouth but his mind was empty and blank. He looked into Taemin's eyes and forgot that he was supposed to wash cherries. His hands were right under the cold water but he didn't mind.

Taemin winked, then he tilted his head and returned to his task.

"What have you been up to?" Taemin asked. "I haven't seen you in so long..."

It took Jongin a few seconds to realize he wasn't the one Taemin was talking to. The kettle whistled and Taeyong moved around to prepare the tea. He was grinning from ear to ear after staring at Taemin and Jongin in bliss during their silly little exchange.

"Oh," he said in that soft tone of his, "nothing much, nothing much. The usual. We stayed in Italy for a while... until Baekhyun finished his latest print. It's a masterpiece, truly."

Jongin blinked a couple of times and turned around to stare at Taeyong with a confused frown. He couldn't even begin to understand how 'nothing much has happened in our lives' translated to 'my gifted artist of a boyfriend and me were on the other side of the planet living a very sweet life' but Taemin didn't seem fazed at all and Taeyong was too busy sighing in delight at the memories to realize Jongin's utter perplexity.

"I'm so proud of him..."

"Aren't you always?" Taemin snorted.

"Yes, but he truly outdid himself this time."

"As __always__ when you're around."

Taeyong looked pleased as if Taemin had just complimented him greatly. He let out a soft giggle and waved his hand to dismiss the subject.

"We traveled quite a lot through Europe actually," Taeyong continued, "but now I just want to stay home for a few months, you know?"

Taemin chuckled and Taeyong came a little closer, leaning on the counter to look at Jongin.

"Have you ever been to Europe, Jongin?"

He was kind in his way of speaking. It didn't sound like he was bragging or being condescending. Apparently, he genuinely thought that it was a possibility that Jongin -humble, modest, timid little Jongin who had lived in the same village all of his life- could have ever been to Europe; and Taeyong sought an opening, something to start a proper conversation with him. Or at least, that's what Jongin thought was happening.

"Uh, no... No, I haven't. I'm sorry."

Taeyong let out an embarrassed little 'oh' and Taemin nudged Jongin softly.

"There's nothing to apologize for..."

"Yeah, sorry," Jongin said before he winced.

Taemin laughed cutely and Jongin glanced back at Taeyong. He took a long inhale and decided to try his best to chatter.

"Baekhyun is an artist, r-right?"

"Yes, he is," Taeyong brightened up visibly as he nodded. "He does magnificent woodblock prints... You must see his works! Taemin has a couple of his prints here, we should show you!"

"Oh, alright..."

"I'll show him later," Taemin sighed before he leaned closer to Jongin. "Be careful, when he starts talking about Baekhyun, he just doesn't stop... You'll be here for the next three hours if you don't change the subject."

Jongin stifled a laugh and Taeyong pouted next to them.

"I heard you, you nasty goblin."

Taemin grinned at Taeyong with all of his teeth but Taeyong remained pouty.

"And you..." Jongin coughed. "What are you-... what are you doing?"

Before Taeyong could answer him, Baekhyun appeared from the archway leading to the living room. He slipped his arms around Taeyong's waist and held him close, pressing a noisy kiss on his cheek before he glanced at Jongin, his head leaning on Taeyong's shoulder.

"He's my muse."

"Oh, I see..." Jongin said, even though he didn't see anything at all.

"Should we go to the garden? The weather is nice enough..." Taemin suddenly asked as he put the last cherry away and glanced through the window.

It got a little hectic and Jongin found himself frozen on his feet as he watched Baekhyun and Taeyong loudly agree and bicker with Taemin to carry the snacks and drinks themselves. He heard Taeyong say something about it being the least they could do after being mean to Taemin's special friend -it was him. Jongin was Taemin's __special__ friend. That new title made his heart flutter.- and Taemin shooed them away with cups and trails.

"I'm happy you decided to stay," Taemin said gently once they were left alone in the kitchen.

"Really?"

Taemin nodded with a soft hum.

"I don't want to intrude when you finally meet your friends again... I hadn't realized you hadn't seen them for a while," Jongin murmured.

"I knew you would think that," Taemin grinned, "that's why I'm telling you I'm happy you stayed. But if it gets too much, don't forget the myosotis, alright?"

Jongin nodded and Taemin brought him outside.

Jongin sat right next to Taemin. He didn't speak much that afternoon but, against all odds, it ended up being far more pleasant than he would have thought.

Baekhyun, as expected, was a very chatty man, who took care of most of the conversation; but he appeared far less intimidating and rude after a couple of jokes and loud laughter. Taeyong was quieter but always made sure to include Jongin into whatever subject they were discussing, and even tried to explain to him the inside jokes flying in Taemin's and Baekhyun's banters.

And Taemin...

Taemin put his small hand on Jongin's thigh and squeezed it gently. He kept looking at him with tender eyes just so Jongin wouldn't feel pushed aside. It was a kind little gesture not to force him to speak while still making him feel part of the conversation.

When the sky began to darken and Jongin decided it was time for him to leave, Taemin made him promise to come back as soon as he could, and Jongin only repeated Taemin's words cheekily.

"We're idiots who want to be around each other, aren't we? Of course, I'll come back soon."

~

It had become a habit for Jongin to get off the bus at the cute little stop by the woods; so much that the bus drivers didn't get surprised by it anymore. The people taking the line regularly, if always curious, weren't so shocked anymore either.

It was only as he looked at the bus going away to the nearby town from the wooden stop where no one other than him ever got off, that Jongin realized he hadn't been to 'the Treasure Island' in weeks. Even a little more than a month. Never had he forgotten about the bookshop for so long before meeting Taemin, but his friend had such an immense collection of books that Jongin ended up borrowing some directly from him.

Jongin knew that the bookstore he loved so immensely was small and needed support from its regular customers. If he wasn't naive enough to believe its fate relied on his purchases only, Jongin worriedly wondered if his sudden absence had caused Kim Junmyeon any misfortune. One thing leading to another, Jongin's thoughts brought him to the lovely idea of taking Taemin to 'the Treasure Island'. Rendered giddy by that new daydream of his, Jongin happily went away from the road and into the woods to meet with his favorite person in the entire world.

Jongin knew the path to Taemin's cottage so well by then that he was positive he could have found it with his eyes closed. Fortunately, he didn't have to and could enjoy the magnificent sceneries the forest had to offer as he walked. But none were ever as enchanting to his eyes as the marigolds dancing on the hill beneath Taemin's home.

As he watched over them lovingly one more time, Jongin thought back on the very first flower crown Taemin had ever made him. He remembered when his friend had told him that marigolds weren't his flowers. Sadly, Taemin hadn't yet told Jongin what his flowers were and Jongin was far too shy ever to bring it up again.

Such were Jongin's thoughts, floating and running in his ever-flourishing mind as he climbed the hill. Would Taemin ever tell him which flowers made him think of him? Would Taemin agree to come to 'the Treasure Island' with him? Would Jongin ever learn the name of all the flowers sprouting in the forest? Those reflections scattered abruptly when Jongin noticed the faint sounds coming from the cottage. From an open window came the lovely melody of a piano.

Jongin smiled brightly and walked faster to reach the little house. He threw his shoes away in the hall, messily dropped his bag on the floor, and ventured to the hallway in search of the music room Taemin hadn't shown him yet. It occurred to him once more how immense the house was and how it didn't make sense at all, considering how small it looked from the outside, but as it always did, the thought disappeared from his mind as soon as it appeared, and Jongin was left shaking his head softly to refocus on the matter at hand: finding Taemin.

Eventually, he saw a door ajar and pushed it softly.

It opened on a very small room in a half-moon shape, with windows so tall and large that Jongin couldn't tell the color of the wall on the whole semi-circle part. There, Taemin was sitting in front of a black piano that took almost all of the space. He looked up when he heard the door creak open and a smile stretched his lips before he even saw Jongin.

"I knew you'd find me..."

Jongin entered the room and closed the door behind him before he walked around the piano to sit on the small bench next to Taemin.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Taemin's smile widened when he saw Jongin put his joined hands between his legs, making himself look small.

"What were you playing?"

"Should I play it again for you?"

Jongin looked up with shining eyes and Taemin giggled.

"You would?"

"Yes. I think you might know that song..."

Jongin straightened up slightly with a sense of importance and his eyes got lost on Taemin's small hands. As soon as Taemin started playing the first notes, a feeling of soft nostalgia bloomed in Jongin's chest. The melody was familiar, a forgotten fond memory desperately trying to come back to Jongin.

"When you wish upon a star... Makes no difference who you are... Anything your heart desires will come to you..."

Taemin's voice was low, warm, barely above a whisper, and it raised overwhelming emotions in Jongin.

"If your heart is in your dream... No request is too extreme... When you wish upon a star... As dreamers do..."

Jongin gasped as he finally replaced the song in his early childhood memories and smiled with a nervous, touched little laugh.

"Fate is kind... She brings to those who love... The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing..."

Taemin kept playing and singing with a soft smile, and even Jongin's fond eyes looking at him didn't distract him from his song.

When his voice fainted and he finished pressing the last keys, Taemin turned to Jongin, with a content little expression on his face, his nose raised as he waited for compliments.

"It's from Pinocchio, right? The movie Pinocchio..." Jongin breathed out.

"Yes," Taemin chirped. "It was my favorite animated movie as a kid..."

"Oh," Jongin smiled. "I was scared of it, you know... I don't think I watched it that much."

Taemin tilted his head slightly and Jongin suddenly widened his eyes with a devastated expression.

"I mean-...! I'm sorry! It's a lovely movie and I truly love the song, I promise! You played it so well and you even sang and-..."

Taemin's laughter interrupted him and Jongin whined as he curled up on himself with shame.

"I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright, Jonginnie. You have the right not to like Pinocchio."

"But that was such a thoughtless thing to say right when you played that beautiful song for me. I'm sorry."

Taemin kept giggling as he leaned on Jongin's arm and rested his head on Jongin's shoulder.

"You liked how I played it?"

"Yes, very much! You have such a beautiful voice."

Jongin was bashful. Taemin squirmed to catch his hand and lace their fingers.

"Thank you."

"I'm the one thanking you," Jongin whispered.

"I love this song," Taemin mused. "It's very pretty and soft. Sometimes when I look at you, I'm just reminded of it."

"Oh."

Jongin wished he could think of something to say but words had vanished from his usually crowded mind.

"When I was a kid," Taemin said, and Jongin was very attentive because it wasn't often that Taemin talked about himself, "I watched Pinocchio every day. And then, I started making wishes upon the stars."

"I did that too."

Taemin giggled against him and straightened up to look at him.

"What did you wish for?"

Jongin glanced at him; he was blushing softly and the smile on his lips was small, almost sad.

"A friend. I've only ever wanted a friend."

Taemin tilted his head and his free hand came to brush Jongin's hair away from his face.

"Well," he murmured. "The stars heard you because here I am."

Jongin bit his lips to contain his happy grin and he lowered his head shyly as he nodded.

"Yes, here you are," he said. "And you? What did you wish for?"

Taemin laughed and took a long inhale.

"Oh, silly things. The stars didn't listen to me... I remember wishing for a couple of months for a pirate ship and to become the captain of it. Then I wanted an elephant. And I'm pretty sure at some point I wished to become a wooden puppet..."

Jongin laughed loudly and Taemin cried out not to mock him as he softly hit him but he was chuckling just as loud as his friend. When Jongin's amusement calmed down, Taemin pretended to be pouting until Jongin hugged him back.

"Do you still make wishes upon the stars?" Taemin asked when Jongin's whole body wasn't shaking with giggles anymore.

Jongin coughed softly and avoided Taemin's eyes as he shook his head.

"Oh, no..."

Taemin squinted and nudged him with a low hum.

"Jonginnie, are you lying to me?"

"No!"

"Jonginnie, you're definitely lying to me."

Jongin sighed loudly and quite dramatically before he stared at Taemin.

"What if I still made wishes upon the stars?"

"I'd find it cute," Taemin immediately answered with a disarmingly kind smile.

Jongin softened. He looked at Taemin with a tenderness so great that Taemin felt his heart flutter.

"What do you wish for?"

The small, sad smile came back on Jongin's lips. He looked a little lost all of a sudden. His ears were red with embarrassment.

"You won't laugh?"

Jongin's voice was faint and shy. The moment he breathed out those words, he knew what Taemin's answer would be. How could Taemin ever mock him, anyway?

"Of course not."

Taemin almost wanted to tell him that he didn't have to share his wish if he didn't want to. It was alright to tell him to stop being so curious, after all. But Jongin, with his pink cheeks and pursed lips, looked like he didn't mind. Maybe, some little part of him even wanted to say it despite the shyness.

"Sometimes, I look at the stars and I wish I could have a romance."

Jongin was looking down at his folded hands on his lap. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. For a reason he wasn't sure he could explain, there were tears in his eyes.

"I wish for someone kind to fall in love with me."

"And for you to fall in love with someone?"

"Well," Jongin breathed out with a little cough, "you see, I think that would be the easiest part. So I wish for help on the most difficult one."

"That's silly. Falling for you is so easy."

Taemin's words startled Jongin so much that he looked up, only to blush further when he saw Taemin staring right back at him.

"Oh."

"You've never had a lover, have you?"

"No. And you?"

Taemin nodded with a little sigh.

"Several."

Jongin opened his mouth but remained silent. He wasn't sure what he could say. It stung a little but Jongin wasn't sure where this slight jealousy piercing his lungs was aimed at.

"You say things such as having a 'significant other' or 'someone'," Taemin said softly. "You never say 'girlfriend'... It got me thinking."

He gave Jongin a pointed look and the silent question that was left hanging between them made Jongin's blood run cold. When Taemin realized his fear and worry, he immediately brought his hand on Jongin's arm.

"Remember my favorite book, Jonginnie."

For a second, Jongin felt lost and confused. His mind was going around so many things at once that he couldn't think it through. But Taemin waited patiently, silently, until Jongin came to remember the book that Chi once saw him read. The book about two lovers, in Ancient Greece. The romance between two men that had, somehow, brought Jongin in Taemin's garden.

Realization shone in Jongin's eyes and Taemin smiled brightly.

"Are you gay?" Jongin asked in a whisper.

"Not quite."

"How so?"

There was a touching hope written all over Jongin's face. What Taemin could only speculate without really knowing, was that it was the first time in his whole life that Jongin had voiced such words. It was the very first time he had the opportunity to discuss the thoughts that had occupied his mind for years, the first time he felt safe and secure enough to initiate such a talk. It was both frightening and exciting to him.

"How much do you know about sexual orientations and the terms used to describe them?" Taemin wondered.

The sudden question caused Jongin to squirm in discomfort and Taemin put one hand on his forearm to ease him.

"It's just me, I won't judge you."

"I know," Jongin breathed out. "I just-... I tried to search, sometimes. But I don't-... I don't feel very confident in talking about it. I feel like... even though I made researches, I just don't know what I'm talking about so-..."

He was starting to ramble with anxiety and Taemin squeezed his arm gently.

"Have you found words you felt comfortable with to describe yourself?"

Jongin nodded. Taemin was waiting for him to speak, ever so patiently. He let Jongin a few minutes to gather his words and courage.

"I think I'm bisexual," Jongin confessed in a hasty, hushed whisper.

Taemin smiled at him as if he was proud of him, and Jongin deflated like a balloon, all anxiety leaving him at once.

"I've-... I've had crushes, you know," Jongin murmured. "I think I don't care about genders. I like both women and men. But I don't think I've ever actually been in love or... properly-... properly attracted to someone so I'm mostly confused. Or rather... I felt attracted sometimes but-... It didn't feel very deep."

Taemin remained silent for a moment to give Jongin enough space to add something, had he wanted to. But Jongin was back to looking at his moist palms on his lap and waiting.

"It's alright not to be sure, you know," Taemin finally said. "It's also alright to change your mind later... because your sexuality is fluid and might evolve and change. It's alright if you never fell in love before and it's alright if you're not attracted to people. What I want to say is that you're valid. Always."

"Most of the time, it just feels very complicated," Jongin sighed.

Taemin let out a soft laugh and Jongin glanced at him before he finally cracked a tiny smile in return.

"I understand that. I've changed words to describe myself so many times already. Sometimes I get frustrated with all of it and I just think 'Well, I love the people I love, what about it?!'"

"I could get on with that."

"You may."

Taemin didn't miss the way Jongin straightened up slightly with a content, tiny smile.

"Is it okay to still ask...?" Jongin began to say.

He didn't manage to finish his sentence but Taemin understood and his expression turned cheeky.

"Yes, it's okay. I'm demisexual... which means that I only get physically attracted to people I've already formed an emotional bond with," Taemin said.

Jongin frowned in concentration but nodded.

"Alright."

"I need a friendship first, if I may say. I need to feel close to someone before I get attracted to them... which also doesn't mean I get attracted to all my friends, you know."

"Oh. Yes."

"But then, gender doesn't matter to me."

Jongin looked at him. It was early in the afternoon and the light coming from the windows and through the white, flimsy curtains was bright and clear. Taemin looked beautiful in ways that Jongin would have never been able to describe. He wasn't sure he could even comprehend what made Taemin so gorgeous to his eyes but his heart soared and his mind lost its way as he gazed upon him.

"Jongin? Are you still with me?"

Taemin's whole face was shining with mirth and Jongin had to blink several times to come back to reality.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. You can get a little lost in thoughts sometimes."

"Thank you for talking about this with me," Jongin murmured.

"Anytime. And I mean it. We can talk more about this whenever you want or need to."

They were used to hold hands, hold each other's arms, even hug or cuddle sometimes. It had become almost natural between them over time. But such touches were usually always initiated by Taemin. So when Jongin hummed softly and put his head on Taemin's shoulder, Taemin gasped.

"Is it okay?" Jongin asked as he froze.

"Of course," Taemin squeaked.

Jongin almost straightened back up but Taemin immediately put his hand on Jongin's head to force him back against him.

"I said of course," Taemin pouted.

Jongin giggled and didn't struggle.

Without a word, Taemin brought his hands back on the piano and pressed the keys softly into a soft, easy melody. For a few seconds, Jongin frowned, before he suddenly let out a little exclamation.

"Oh, it's the theme from Winnie the Pooh!"

Taemin laughed as an answer and kept playing to Jongin's soft hums and warm murmurs of the lyrics.

"Chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff... Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh... Willy, nilly, silly old bear..."

Taemin stopped to grab one of Jongin's hands and spread his fingers on the piano keys. He draped his hand over Jongin's and made him play with him.

"I'm playing the piano!" Jongin whispered in fake awe.

"You're so talented!" Taemin giggled.

"I know, right."

They missed a few notes because Jongin was a little clumsy and didn't move his hand fast enough but every time they failed, Taemin would let out another giggle, and Jongin praised himself for his mistakes.

Playing the piano with Taemin was softer and more magical than any daydream Jongin had ever created.

~

These days, Jongin was reading quite an impressive book. That was, at least, what his co-workers whispered amongst themselves when they saw him sitting in a corner during lunch, nose buried deep in the thick book he was barely holding with one hand.

Taemin had been the one recommending him 'Crime and Punishment', by Dostoyevsky, after struggling for quite a long time trying to find a volume he liked that Jongin hadn't read yet. It had proved to be difficult and Taemin had huffed and puffed, walking around his bookshelves, searching for something 'dark, psychological, maybe with a little bit of crime' -because that was, against all odds, what Jongin liked to read the most. When he had heard that Jongin hadn't read that specific book, Taemin had been equally shocked and elated. Shocked that Jongin had somehow avoided a book falling so perfectly in his favorite criteria; elated to be the one to put that heavy volume in Jongin's greedy hands.

In return, Jongin had brought him one of his most favorite crime novels ever. One that also checked all of Jongin's bizarre and more or less macabre tastes. 'The Devotion of Suspect X', by Keigo Higashino.

If Jongin had grown up loving beautiful, lovely stories about lighthearted adventures, he had later started -in his teenage years- to find interest in darkest themes and anything gloomy or sorrowful that would wrench his heart and soul, and urged him to ask himself more existential questions.

Thus, it should have come as no surprise for his colleague to see him captivated in a book with such an impressive title -it was the norm for Jongin- but there are always common people who, in all their innocuousness and good nature, find themselves flabbergasted by the most natural things, and there is nothing that thoughtful and attentive people can do against that. 

So, there was Jongin, the lovely hero of a poetic adventure full of flowers, sitting in his corner, quietly reading about murder; when, quite suddenly, his name got called aloud in joy and amusement. Jongin looked up, blinking his eyes stupidly to chase away the remnants of old Russia playing in his mind. He stared at the woman in front of him who was looking down with a grin.

"You got a letter," Minji said.

She seemed positively delighted as she held out a thick envelope to him.

"Oh," Jongin breathed out, "thank you."

He was frowning deeply as he took the letter and watched her walk away. Minji was the other employee who sorted out letters in their small post office and usually brought him the ones addressed to him, for practical reasons. But Jongin didn't get that much mail, even less like this: completely out of the blue, unexpected, fortuitously. In fact, Jongin only received mail when he ordered something online, for his birthday, and special holidays. And that day was a day as banal and ordinary as possible. Or so he had thought.

Jongin turned the envelope in his hand and his heart immediately soared in his chest, inflating like a red balloon. The envelope was made of a thick, off-white paper; it looked fancy.

'To, Jongin.

Who works at the post office.'

The handwriting was cute, a little clumsy as if the writer had awkwardly tried to put some calligraphy. But the black ink was pretty and Jongin fell in love with everything about it the moment he saw those words written. And he knew, deep down, that it came from Taemin. Who else in the whole universe could possibly send him such a precious, beautiful thing without even an address?

With trembling fingers, Jongin turned the envelope in his hands a few times. His heart was beating so fast that he had to breathe through his mouth to avoid getting dizzy. His mind was racing with beautiful, enamored thoughts. Taemin had written him a letter. Why would he do that? What did he write to him? It was such a romantic, kind, poetic gesture that Jongin sat quietly for a few minutes, overwhelmed with a devastating tenderness for his friend, unable to open what was probably the most important and meaningful letter he had ever received in his life.

When he finally managed to contain his tidal wave of emotions, Jongin shakily grabbed a paperknife on a desk not far from him to open his treasure without ruining it. He already knew that both the letter and the envelope would become some of his most precious possessions, some that he would keep forever in a safe little box.

Taemin had written him a letter lengthy of a couple of small pages, all in the same thick, precious paper. And Jongin sighed in happiness.

__My dearest Jongin,_ _

__I hope my letter will find you well and happy. And I hope it will come as a pleasant surprise in your day. You see, I've wanted to write to you since you first told me that you worked in a post office... You mentioned that your days there are often sad and boring, and my secret wish is that you'll find this letter amongst many others... Maybe you'll get all startled and you'll widen your eyes in that way that makes you look so cute._ _

__I've waited, though, to write to you. I've waited until we knew each other better and I would have more interesting things to tell you. The truth is, even though I've thought about writing to you for a while, I simply never took the time. And today, I missed you a lot for some reason and decided that the time had come._ _

__I am sitting at my desk, watching over the marigolds through the window with a cup of tea, writing this to you. I feel so calm and serene right now, I hope I can convey a little bit of those feelings to you and bring some softness into your day. And also, I just want to share my feelings with you._ _

__Do you remember that day we took care of my plants and you told me that you felt like you belonged in my cottage, next to me? I think about your words from then a lot, you know. They always bring me such joy when I recall them... They kept coming back to my mind, nurturing new reflections, and now I must share with you my thoughts if that's alright with you._ _

__It's very unpleasant to think you don't fit anywhere and knowing I took that burden away from you fills me up with pride and warmth. I am so glad that Chittaphon brought you to me on that fated afternoon, Jongin... I am so glad. And I wonder if you fully realize how important you are to me now. When you said I make you feel safe, I wanted to tell you that it's mutual. Sometimes, I struggle a little searching for the limits of letting others express themselves and speaking my mind too, answering you, comforting you. But when you're here with me, I feel cared for. You never seem to mind my rambles or the silly things I do or say and it's very precious to me. Being able to be myself around someone without fearing for their judgment and curious glances is soothing. I think you can relate to that._ _

__Jongin, when I read Anne of Green Gables for the first time for you, and she spoke about kindred spirits... I thought 'Jongin is one'. I couldn't even question it. It felt crystal clear. You are a kindred spirit. I felt it right away, somewhere in my soul, and that is why I once offered you a branch of my wisteria... I feel like I belong in the space around you. It's a comforting, reassuring feeling that I am so glad I have found in such a deep, meaningful way._ _

__Look at me rambling again. I don't even know where I am going with all of this. I got a little overwhelmed with feelings and now they're spilling everywhere. What should I do?_ _

__Maybe I should put down my quill. I should let you go back to work too. Oh, maybe you read me at home though... Is it wrong that I'm so happy to have gotten your attention for a little moment in your day?_ _

__Thank you for reading me, Jonginnie. I hope to see you soon again... I have many things to tell you that I can only share in person._ _

__With all of my love,_ _

__Your bosom friend,_ _

__Taemin._ _

The emotions that Taemin's letter brought to Jongin were ones difficult to put into words.

At first, it felt like time had stopped and everything around him had blended into softer shades and shapes. Jongin's whole attention had narrowed onto Taemin's handwriting with such intensity that he could hear Taemin's voice reading to him, he could see the marigolds under the sun, he could smell the orchids tea Taemin liked the most.

But as he read, a whirlwind of feelings overwhelmed him and he felt like a ship lost in a thunderstorm, at the mercy of a raging sea. In the midst of all of it, he wondered how Taemin's kind, thoughtful, serene words could have awakened such a turmoil in the deepest corners of his soul.

What was so unsettling, by being both exhilarating and troubling, was that Jongin thought he had never felt such strong emotions for anything _ _real__. He had felt heartbreaking sorrow, endless happiness, deep compassion for fictional characters many times over but to feel such bliss, such a devastating affection for something true, genuine, that happened to him directly... Jongin was speechless.

He tried, with a strength born of despair like a man about to drown, to find a memory – any memory that wouldn't be linked to Taemin - that he could compare to his happiness in that moment. In vain. The field of marigolds with their brilliant colors and enchanting scent, the moments spent curled up in 'the Treasure Island' with a warm tea while reading magnificent stories, the soft fragility of days spent happily doing only things he loved because he had woken up in the loveliest mood, the dreams he spent weeks to detail in his mind offering him endless comfort; they all faded to mere contentment in comparison to the unreasonable, lively, crushing adoration that he devoted to Taemin right then.

It was all so much that Jongin cried. It suddenly occurred to him with an almost frightening accuracy that he was loved. Taemin loved him. More than Jongin had ever dared to hope to be loved. Taemin loved him not despite him but thanks to who he was. In fact, Taemin loved him so much that he had taken time to write him such a letter, asking nothing of Jongin but his time and attention as he displayed his affection in the most precious way.

And as tears fell, Jongin gasped softly for air.

Everything calmed down in his mind until only one thought remained. He was profoundly - almost ridiculously - in love with Taemin.

~

Jongin had a metal box at home of a rather large size that he had once found in a flea market. It was a very old thing that he had loved as soon as he had seen it, for it had been painted with lovely illustrations of his favorite tale as a child: 'The Green Frogs'.

In that box, Jongin had put all the little presents that Taemin had offered him through the weeks they had spent together. He kept his dried myosotis in a little frame on his nightstand but everything else was carefully put to safety in his metal box. And that was where he had put his letter.

He read it over five times when he came back home after work in the evening he had received it. He read it again on the next morning and Taemin's words still didn't fail to bring Jongin's heart to his lips, as if it tried to escape and soar into the sun.

Jongin was still thinking about his letter as he took the bus the next Sunday to visit Taemin. He was still blushing at the memory of Taemin's last line. He was still struggling to calm his pounding heart when the true nature of his feelings for his friend resurfaced in his mind.

He had barely entered the small garden in front of Taemin's cottage when the door opened abruptly and Taemin threw himself at him with a large grin.

"Jonginnie! Finally, you're back! I was just thinking, you know, that I should pay more attention to my phone so we could text, then maybe I wouldn't miss you so much and I wouldn't spend so much time wondering when you'll come. How are you doing?"

Taemin clung to Jongin's arm and tilted his head to look at him, his eyes twinkling like little stars.

"Hi," Jongin breathed out in a little giggle.

"Hi."

"I'd love for you to answer my texts."

Jongin pouted and Taemin scrunched his nose.

"I will now. I will! I promise! As soon as I'll have got hold of my phone again, I will."

"We'll see," Jongin simpered.

Taemin laughed and drew away from Jongin slightly, enough for Jongin to miss his warmth. He bit his lip and hopped on his feet like a child.

"Did you uh-... Did you get anything exciting? I mean, has anything happened to you lately, maybe?"

Jongin hid his laughter behind his hand as he looked fondly at Taemin.

"I received your letter if that's what you're trying to ask..."

Taemin stilled and relaxed softly with a giddy smile.

"Yes, that's what I wanted to ask."

Jongin took Taemin's hands in his and squeezed them gently. His gaze lingered on Taemin's palms; he was too shy to look into his eyes.

"Thank you so much. I honestly have no words to tell you how happy it made me."

"You're welcome," Taemin said softly as if writing such moving letters to a friend was a very natural thing to do. "I'll write to you more! I'll write to you a lot more when you'll least expect my letters."

"I already can't wait to read them."

Taemin laughed again and turned around before he tugged Jongin into the cottage.

"Come on, I have something to show you."

He brought Jongin through the little hall and into the living-room while swinging their laced hands between them. And Jongin couldn't take his eyes off of him.

"So," Taemin chirped, "as you may remember, I had promised that I would find _ _your__ flowers. And you know, it is a process, really. An important process of getting to know you better, and looking at you, and seeing you... but I think that now... I have you figured out a little. Broadly speaking."

Jongin remained quiet, his eyes wide with curiosity and excitement still fixed on Taemin as the man waltzed around and left his side.

"When I saw you with the marigolds, I felt like something was missing and it took me a little while to point it out. So I just-... I focused on everything else. I forgot about the marigolds, which are Yukhei's, and I just thought of you. You do have the inner strength and creativity of the marigolds... but there's even more than passion within you. And I think..."

Taemin stopped himself mid-sentence to pick up a flower crown lying on his coffee table. It was made of big, bright, colorful flowers ranging from pink to yellow by way of a soft coral. They were so large and beautiful that Jongin felt shy as Taemin came back to him with them.

Gently, tenderly, Taemin put the crown on Jongin head and the loveliest smile stretched on his lips.

"Dahlias are yours," Taemin said softly. "I see your kindness in them. They stand out in a crowd."

"I don't-..." Jongin whispered, almost despite himself.

"You do. To me, you stand out amongst everyone else."

Jongin bit his lips and nodded timidly.

"Thank you..."

"One of the most precious meanings of dahlias is grace. That's what was missing."

"Grace?" Jongin repeated in confusion. "Me?"

"You're graceful in everything that you do. It's in the way you talk and the way you move. Grace is elegance; it's an undefinable charm... Dahlias are everything I see in you."

At that moment, Jongin thought that he loved the way Taemin saw him. He loved the Jongin that Taemin spoke about so tenderly, with such delicacy. That person sounded far lovelier than the one Jongin saw every day in the mirror, the one he thought he was, deep down.

But strangely, instead of assuming that Taemin was simply fooled, blinded by the appearances that Jongin always tried to put up, Jongin found himself touched. Even his anxiety couldn't trick him into thinking Taemin didn't know what he was talking about because as much as he didn't have much confidence in himself, if there was one thing Jongin was absolutely certain of, it was that Taemin saw him and understood him on a level too deep for it to be logical and explainable.

And so, Jongin wished that one day, he would see himself as a dahlia.

"Do you like them?" Taemin asked.

He was slightly nervous about Jongin's silence.

"I do," Jongin said sweetly. "I love them immensely. Thank you, Taemin."

Taemin's face instantly brightened and he wiggled excitedly.

"I thought we could plant some together... if you want. I bought some tubers of different varieties and I wanted to plant them with you."

Jongin stammered a small yes and watched as Taemin's happiness sparkled even more. He walked around the living-room, enthusiastically telling Jongin where he had bought said dahlia tubers and how he had read about them for the past two days to make sure it was the right time to plant them, and to search for any important information.

Taemin grabbed a couple of baskets and filled them with gardening tools and bags of tubers as he told Jongin that he had thought of the most perfect place to plant them.

"It's a little small, you know... we can't plant a whole field of them like my marigolds... But I think it's the most perfect place anyway. I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will."

Taemin perked up from where he was squatting on the floor to glance at Jongin fondly and nod. When he got up, he took Jongin's crown away from his head.

"What-...?"

"We're going to stay under direct sun for a while," Taemin hummed.

With no other explanation, he put a straw hat firmly on Jongin's head, jammed another one on himself, and held one basket out to his friend.

"Follow me!"

With a sudden bravery that he didn't know where he found exactly, Jongin grabbed Taemin's hand after he freed it from the wicker basket, and laced their fingers. Taemin widened his eyes slightly but didn't say anything as Jongin glanced at him with red cheeks.

"Okay," Jongin only whispered.

Taemin squeezed Jongin's hand and pulled him away towards the French doors leading to the back garden. They took the narrow path that wove down the hill and back to the forest, and as they walked, Jongin told Taemin about the historical drama he was interested in lately and how he had recognized wisterias in one of the episodes he had watched the previous night.

The sun was quite high in the sky but the gentle breeze running through the woods made their walk pleasant. Taemin was swinging their hands softly and he looked more and more content as they followed the tortuous way through the trees until they found the meadow of wisterias.

Jongin had expected Taemin to lead him through it and to a new little corner of the forest that Jongin hadn't seen yet. But Taemin stopped under a tree and turned to Jongin with a large, pretty grin.

"Here we are. The most perfect place."

Jongin's eyes widened.

"Here?" he repeated, confused and far too hopeful.

"Here!" Taemin nodded.

He let go of Jongin's hand and put his basket on the ground before he gestured vaguely to the meadow.

"It's very sunny and there aren't many flowers around my wisterias, as you can see... They must feel a little lonely... So I thought your dahlias could keep them company. What do you think?"

Jongin tried as hard as he could not to let his devastating emotions get the better of him.

"Taemin..."

"The truth is..." Taemin interrupted him gently, "I think all their colors would look good together. And for some reason... ever since I finally understood that your flowers were dahlias, I thought that I wanted them here. It's silly. I just wanted your flowers with my trees. You with me. Here. I can be cheesy like that sometimes..."

He shrugged and let out a shy little laugh; Jongin felt like he was drowning again.

"I like it," Jongin murmured. "Let's plant them together."

Taemin found his composure back and nodded.

They put on gloves and squatted together at one end of the meadow. Taemin planted the first two tubers while slowly explaining every step of the process to Jongin: how far away from each other to plant them, how deep into the soil, even how to grab and handle them with care. He was patting the ground gently, adding some dirt here and there, always providing explanations in a soft voice. Then he watched closely how Jongin did it. He held out his hand to correct Jongin a few times, then let him go on.

They moved slowly and carefully, always remaining close to each other as they slowly but surely sowed all their tubers through the meadow. Taemin ended up singing softly, halfway through their work, and Jongin wasted a couple of minutes simply looking at him adoringly.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, my lovelies,
> 
> I hope you enjoyed following Jongin's adventures & meeting Baekhyun&Taeyong ♥
> 
> See you next Thursday for Part 3! Until then, please take care of yourself. & you feel like leaving a little note with some thoughts or feelings about that chapter, it would make my day ♥
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonyki) // [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/Moonyki)


	3. Chapter 3

.

Jongin wondered if he ought to do something about his ever-growing, overwhelming, fluttering feelings for Taemin. Although he had spent a ridiculous amount of time reading about romance, he was still very much inexperienced in all those complicated matters in reality, and he was still barely getting a hold of the whole friendship he had with the object of his tender infatuation.

His anxious, overthinking mind was constantly turning nuts and bolt trying to make light on the situation and find some sort of illumination about the meaning of love and _all that sort of thing_.

But it all eventually came down to thoughts he had read about a million times and somehow, he was a little upset to find himself in that exact situation he had seen so many protagonists face: the agonizing indecision that stemmed from the clash of his burning want to kiss Taemin and his fear of rejection. And just like so many heroes before him, Jongin was cornered into doubts, wondering if the way Taemin looked at him meant anything at all or if he was hallucinating. In other words, Jongin was living a cliché of pining and he suddenly realized that being in the center of it, instead of a blissful, know-it-all reader, was unbearably annoying. Furthermore, he didn't even have any friend other than Taemin to turn to for advice – Chi' couldn't be of any help - and truth be told, even if Jongin had already mentioned Taemin to his family once or twice, he would rather eat his dirty socks than expose his sentimental troubles to them – or even worse, to his coworkers. Thus, instead of torturing himself with heavy thoughts for days on end, Jongin decided against doing anything concrete at all and turned back to what he was used to: daydreams. Thanks to his wondrous, amazing, overflowing imagination, it was really easy for him to picture all kinds of very soft things he could do with Taemin that would surely make his heart pound. Things such as hugging him or, even better, _kissing him_.

There was nothing to worry about, Jongin was sure of it. He was certain that he would be able to handle his crush. Romantic love wouldn't change anything. He had acquired such confidence as he had realized that his daydreams actually stayed pretty close to what he already had with Taemin. Minus the kisses. Which was truly unfortunate. But Jongin could already listen to Taemin endlessly, tell him anything he wanted, stay with him doing nothing for hours, enjoy his enchanting presence, and get sneakily happy to see Taemin sitting as close to him as possible even when his other friends -Taeyong and Baekhyun - came around.

So, as long as his heart could take it, Jongin was determined not to change anything. He pushed all dilemmas away, hoping that future Jongin could somehow learn to deal with whatever hardship might come his way.

But what Jongin failed to overthink and consider in his grand plan of things was something very simple that every story had: twists and turns. And far sooner than he had expected and planned, Jongin had to face a disruptive element.

~

It happened on a very sunny day, as Jongin came to visit Taemin late in the morning. Taemin was still wearing his pajama, on the pretext that he didn't feel like wearing clothes that day and nobody could force him to. Jongin wouldn't have tried to talk some sense into him anyway because Taemin looked awfully cute in his striped, too large pajama.

They were sitting on the couch leisurely, Taemin's legs on Jongin's lap, talking about this and that, when Taemin abruptly fell silent and straightened up, his head turning to the general direction of the door.

"What's wrong?" Jongin asked.

Taemin gasped, threw a glance at Jongin, then tried to get up quickly but his shaky limbs got caught in the blanket he had covered them with, and he would have fallen on his face if Jongin hadn't caught him at the very last moment.

"I think-..."

He didn't finish his sentence and swiftly went away, Jongin on his heels, getting more and more worried. Taemin hurried to the kitchen to look through the window and when he mimicked him, Jongin didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The marigolds were as beautiful as ever, the garden was peaceful and quiet. But Taemin saw - _sensed_ \- something that caused him to grin widely.

"He's here!" Taemin squealed.

Jongin tried to ask what Taemin meant by that but his friend scurried away and out of the house as quick as a bunny. Jongin felt a pang when he realized he was left alone in the kitchen; Taemin had left without even looking back at him. Still a little confused by Taemin's whole behavior, he followed him outside and trotted through the garden, craning his neck to see Taemin hurtle down the hill, his purple hair floating around his face.

"You're home!" Taemin cried out happily.

Jongin watched as Taemin jumped in the arms of the man coming up the twisted path to the cottage.

His face crumbled into sadness and turmoil. His heart shrank, his shoulders slumped, and he sighed with the realization that romantic love made everything impossibly more complicated.

"Oh, bother."

~

Taemin hugged Yukhei as tightly as he could as the man laughed in his ears and made them twirl.

"Hi there, Taeminnie!"

"You're home!" Taemin repeated in disbelief, quieter that time.

Yukhei was still chuckling when he put Taemin back on his feet. Taemin sighed loudly and looked up to him with a fond smile. Yukhei's soft brown hair had grown since the last time Taemin had seen him. He was more tanned. He even seemed broader.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were coming back? I can't believe you're here! You're really back... I'm so glad to see you! Oh, my Jonginnie is here today... I can introduce you two, it's absolutely perfect!"

"Calm down, little sparrow," Yukhei said softly, a grin still stretching his lips.

"Yes," Taemin breathed out. "Yes. I'm just so excited. I didn't expect-... I kept wondering when you would be back."

Yukhei cupped Taemin's face and shook it softly before he pulled him in for another hug.

"I've missed you a lot."

"Me too," Taemin breathed out, squished against Yukhei's chest. "I have many things to tell you. Many! We'll go sit with Jonginnie and we'll talk. You must be exhausted. How long was your trip?"

"I wouldn't say no to drop my bag for a while," Yukhei hummed. "My shoulders are killing me."

Taemin clung to Yukhei's arm and tried to pull him to the house happily.

"Let's go then!"

But Yukhei didn't move. He stared at Taemin with worried eyes until his friend began to pout.

"What's wrong?"

"I must uh-... I must introduce you to someone."

Taemin tilted his head and frowned.

"Oh? You do?"

Yukhei gave him a sheepish smile as he nodded and turned around to wave at someone, hiding at the edge of the woods. They abashedly came into the sunlight, approaching with timid steps.

Taemin looked thoroughly at the short man with black eyes and even darker hair. He had a small, bony face, and thin lips. He looked frail.

"This is Mark," Yukhei said gently.

Taemin kept looking at the newcomer warily, but not unkindly.

"Nice to meet you," Taemin greeted him.

Mark seemed to relax slightly and bowed politely.

"Likewise."

Taemin abruptly jolted and looked back with a gasp. High on the hill, standing behind the white fence, he saw Jongin looking over them nervously. Taemin waved at him and glanced back at Yukhei and Mark.

"Please, come in! We'll have something to drink, maybe lunch... you must be starved! And you'll tell me how you met."

Taemin cheerfully grabbed Yukhei's hand again and drew him forward and up to their home, babbling about his morning and his __Jonginnie__. Yukhei opened his mouth to protest but soon gave up and followed Taemin, motioning for Mark to come along.

"Jonginnie!" Taemin called out sweetly. "Jonginnie, Yukhei came back! Xuxi, you know, when I first met Jonginnie, I thought he was you. I ran down the hill screaming your name, and there he was, looking at your marigolds." He turned to Mark with a tiny smile. "I'm not used to having a lot of visitors, you see... I couldn't imagine anyone else than Yukhei coming and Jongin is tall too so I didn't think twice..."

Mark wasn't sure what to say and he simply blinked, trying to follow Taemin's monologue as well as his long steps, and he let out a tiny “oh”.

When they passed the white fence of Taemin's garden, Jongin tried to control his face. But he was quite certain that he was doing a terrible job.

Yukhei was tall; taller than him, taller than Jongin expected him to be. And so impossibly and unfairly handsome that Jongin couldn't help the despair he felt at the sight of him.

Yukhei had bright, large eyes, plushy lips, and a square jaw. Jongin thought that he resembled the description of a demi-god, flawless and awe-inspiring. He looked like a marble statue; like Homer himself could have written poetry on his devastating beauty.

"Jongin, this is Yukhei... Yukhei, this is my Jonginnie."

"Hi," Jongin awkwardly mumbled.

He bowed slightly and stole a glance at the man to find him grinning at him warmly.

"Hi. It's very nice to meet you... I've heard an awful lot about you already..."

Taemin beamed, not ashamed in the least to be outed so casually. He left Yukhei's side to take Jongin's wrist and continued forward and toward his home.

"Come in, come in... We shall sit and talk. Maybe I should get dressed, shouldn't I? This is a little embarrassing with a new guest."

Taemin entered his home, dragged Jongin after him, and looked back distractedly to see Yukhei following him. But as Mark trailed behind, he abruptly jerked backward as he tried to cross the entrance; as if he had just hit a wall. Jongin gasped in worry, immediately asking him if he was alright and didn't notice the way Taemin had frozen next to him, dark, cold eyes jumping from Mark to Yukhei.

Yukhei closed his eyes in defeat and sighed softly before he glanced dejectedly to Taemin.

"Taem'... I can explain..."

"Oh you must," Taemin said.

Jongin was next to Mark, helping him stand on his feet as the man was holding his head, stunned. He looked up when he heard Taemin's tone. He wasn't used to the coldness he could see on his features. Most of all, Jongin didn't understand what was happening. Mark's shock, Yukhei's guilty face, Taemin's distant look... nothing made sense. Yet the more he tried to put each little detail together, the more they escaped his mind, turning into smoke until he was left blinking, wondering why he felt so surprised.

"Taemin, please," Yukhei whispered in a begging voice.

Taemin remained silent for a moment, staring at Mark who cowered and shifted behind Jongin as if to shield himself.

"Do you trust him?" Taemin asked Yukhei, even though he was still looking right at Mark.

"Yes, I do," Yukhei answered in a gentle voice.

"What's his full name?"

"Mark Lee."

"You better be sure of yourself," Taemin grumbled before he stepped forward and made a large hand gesture over the doorway. "Lee Mark, I invite you in."

They all remained quiet and immobile for a few seconds until Taemin sighed.

"Well, come in now..."

Mark jolted softly and obeyed, immediately followed by an ever so confused Jongin who kept battling with his mind to make sense of everything. In vain.

As he passed the door, Taemin grabbed Jongin's hand and brought him to the kitchen, away from the two others. He looked up to him with worried eyes and held onto Jongin's shirt.

"Jonginnie, are you alright?"

Jongin was a little pouty but he shrugged.

"A lot is happening all of a sudden," Taemin murmured. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Jongin answered. "Maybe I should just go..."

"No please," Taemin hastily begged. "Please, can you stay?"

Jongin stilled, his wide eyes staring into Taemin's. His sad jealousy, his discomfort, his confusion, all the terrible feelings boiling and stirring in his heart suddenly fainted and all that was left was Taemin, how much he adored him, how much he couldn't say no to him.

"I mean-..." Taemin stammered. "I don't want to force you. If you don't feel well and you want to leave... I'll understand. But... I'd really like for you to stay." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I need you if you don't mind."

It was a very strange feeling to Jongin; being needed.

Taemin looked fragile all of a sudden, embarrassed, and shy. Jongin couldn't help bringing him into his arms to hold him tightly.

"I'll stay," he said softly.

Taemin looked at him and gave him a tiny smile and it was very clear to Jongin that Taemin knew and understood that he was overwhelmed but still chose to stay for him. Jongin saw endless gratitude in Taemin's gentle eyes and it was all the reassurance he needed.

"I need to talk to Yukhei privately," Taemin said. "Could you maybe stay with Mark, if it's not too much to ask? You can maybe offer him something to drink or eat... You know the house. And I'll try to be quick. I'll just feel so much better knowing I can get back to you once we're done..."

Jongin's heart clenched painfully with fear at the prospect of remaining alone with someone he didn't know. His hands were sweating already, yet he pushed through to give Taemin a small smile.

"Okay. I will do my best."

Relief washed over Taemin's face and he stood on his tiptoes to reach Jongin and press a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you so much."

Jongin blinked quickly as redness spread over his face.

"You're welcome," he breathed out.

He was too stunned to notice Taemin's mischievous smirk but he did see him go away and went after him in a stiff gait.

Yukhei and Mark were sitting on the couch, whispering to themselves, and went quiet when Taemin entered the room. Any trace of worry and discomfort had disappeared from Taemin's face; he looked distant and upset once more.

"You," he said while pointing at Mark, "stay here. And you," he pointed at Yukhei with a pout, "come with me."

Yukhei promptly got to his feet and Jongin thought that he had lost his mighty, fearful aura under Taemin's hard stare. He looked like a giant puppy who knew he was in trouble.

"We'll be quick," Taemin repeated to Jongin, in a gentle tone.

And before Jongin could say anything - in fact, he was still quite speechless due to the little peck he had received earlier - Taemin dragged Yukhei out of the room and into the hallway.

With a little sigh, Jongin awkwardly walked to the couch, eyed Mark sitting at the edge of it, swung his arms back and forth, and sat on an armchair nearby with a tense smile that looked more like a grimace.

They heard a door opening, then Taemin's voice booming.

"Wong Yukhei, what on Earth were you __thinking__?! Who is this boy and why have I never heard of him?"

Mark and Jongin both jolted on their butts and looked at each other with fright.

"He was hunted down!" came Yukhei's distressed voice.

The door shut dramatically in loud noise and a heavy silence fell on the living room. Mark looked tiny, cowering on the couch, and Jongin felt so bad for him that he didn't even dare to look at him.

Jongin's heart was racing. Yukhei's words circled in his mind and for a few seconds, Jongin desperately tried to understand what he could have meant... Then he shook his head and calmed down.

"Would you-... Would you like something to drink?" Jongin stammered.

His soft voice sounded far louder than he had expected in the deep, eerie quiet.

"No, thanks," Mark said timidly.

"Oh."

Jongin frowned. He had hoped that going to make drinks would give him something to do that would help calm his nerves. He didn't know anything about Mark, besides that he had come with Yukhei. But Jongin barely knew anything about Yukhei either, and Mark knew nothing about Taemin, and Jongin grew desperate as he realized he had nothing to say. They had no common points whatsoever, nothing to start a little easy talk; it was abominable.

"Do you mind if I get a drink?" Jongin asked.

Mark looked up at last and his face relaxed slightly.

"No, not at all... It's your house, after all."

Jongin shook his head.

"It's not. It's Taemin's house. And Yukhei's too. I'm only-... I'm a friend of Taemin. I come here often but... I live in a village nearby."

Mark nodded and Jongin stiffly got up to get back to the kitchen.

"Can I get something too after all?"

Jongin turned around to see Mark looking at him over the backrest with round eyes and an embarrassed expression.

"Sure," Jongin said gently.

Mark got up swiftly and scurried after him.

Jongin prepared them a carafe of cold water and strawberries pieces, mostly because he knew Taemin adored it and he hoped it would comfort him when he would join them later. As they went back to sit on the couch, he tried to be as brave as he could and start a conversation with Mark despite knowing that his nervosity would accentuate his stammer. But Mark didn't seem to mind. Or at least, he didn't comment on it, didn't smirk, didn't look at Jongin strangely.

"Where do you come from? If uh-... if I may ask."

"From Canada," Mark answered sweetly.

Jongin immediately spun his head to stare at him with a gasp.

"Really?"

"Really."

"I've always dreamed of going! To Canada, I mean," Jongin breathed out in awe.

Mark grinned at him as he served them each a glass of strawberry water.

"Why?"

"My favorite book takes place in Canada," Jongin muttered. "On Prince Edward Island. So uh... I just-... I've always wanted to go there and uh-... also visit the whole country. You see, it feels like such a faraway land from here..."

Jongin stopped himself reluctantly, fearing that he had said too much already. Mark didn't sigh, didn't look around, didn't squirm uncomfortably. He kept looking at Jongin kindly.

"What's that book?"

"Anne of Green Gables," Jongin said, "from Lucy Maud Montgomery."

"Oh, I've heard of it... 'never read it though, sorry."

"It's okay, it's okay."

They heard a low grating noise; the doors to the back garden opened a little wider and Chi sneaked in, trotting nonchalantly through the living-room. He glanced at the two humans, shook his head as he saw Mark, then meowed, and jumped on Jongin's lap to ask for well-deserved petting that Jongin granted him happily.

"That's Chittaphon," Jongin said with a smile to Mark, "Taemin's cat."

"I've heard of him..."

Chi stared at Mark in wonder and Jongin giggled.

"It's Mark," he explained to the cat. "A friend of Yukhei. They arrived just a little earlier."

Chi froze on Jongin's thighs, then meowed loudly as he straightened up, climbing Jongin's chest to look around while screaming.

"He's not here," Mark told him.

Chi hissed and bumped his head against Jongin's shoulder, his tail swinging in the air quickly.

"You're all about Yukhei too, aren't you?" Jongin teased. "Calm down. Taemin needed to talk to him. I don't know where they went exactly... somewhere down the hallway."

Without losing another second, Chi leaped to the ground and raced through the hallway under Jongin's perplexed stare.

"So, it seems Yukhei is very popular."

"Sounds like him," Mark sighed.

They heard Chittaphon scratching against a door, screaming in the hall until Taemin opened for him, then it was silent again.

~

When Taemin finally came back to the living room, he was alone. And he found Jongin sitting on the edge of his armchair, smiling as he talked excitedly to Mark about traveling to South America, from what Taemin understood. The sight appeased him. He had been worrying through his whole long talk with Yukhei, afraid that Jongin might feel lonely and anxious with that stranger. He was prepared to find him petrified in nervousness in a corner of the room.

Even though he was caught up in a passionate talk, it still took only a few seconds for Jongin to notice him. He visibly brightened and smiled at him, and Taemin grinned back instantly.

"Must I leave?"

Mark's low, resigned voice brought them both back to reality. The lack of Yukhei at Taemin's side had tied a knot in his throat.

Taemin inhaled longly and shook his head.

"No. You may stay. I prepared you a room... Yukhei is busy dealing with Chi' right now but I can show you to the bathroom if you'd like to clean up and rest a little. You'll be safe here, I promise."

Jongin saw Mark collapse on the couch in deep relief.

"Thank you so much."

Jongin frowned slightly. He closed his eyes, losing the trail of the conversation as he felt a slight headache coming. He massaged his temples softly and gasped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Jonginnie, are you okay?"

Jongin looked up to see Taemin inspecting him with concerned eyes.

"Yes, I feel a little stunned, nothing much..."

"I'll just show Mark his room and-..."

"I'll wait for you here, then," Jongin whispered with a tiny smile.

"You don't mind?"

Jongin hummed and shook his head very slightly. Taemin stroked Jongin's black strands of hair away from his forehead and it seemed that his headache fainted. Jongin sighed and fell against his armchair blithely.

"I'll be right back."

Jongin watched them go away. His eyes got lost on the wall, up to the ceiling, and his thoughts wandered off. He couldn't believe that he had been sitting there, talking with someone that wasn't Taemin so freely and so casually. He was still clumsy and awkward with Baekhyun, barely friendly to Taeyong... but Mark was easy to talk to. And Jongin was certain it came all from Mark. He didn't even consider for even one second that maybe, he was getting better at controlling his anxiety around others.

The thought of Mark hanging around put him into mixed feelings. It would be nice to see him again, to talk to him... but a sad little thought still settled in his heart.

"It seems we won't be alone so much anymore."

Taemin's soft voice pulled Jongin out of his reveries. He tilted his head to look at him.

Taemin came closer but didn't sit on the couch next to him. He pushed Jongin around and sat on his lap instead, curling into his arms as if the gesture was perfectly natural. Jongin's heart pounded heavily.

"That's what I was thinking too," Jongin murmured.

Taemin sneaked his arms around Jongin's chest and held him tightly.

"Will you still come to see me? Even if there are so many people around?" Taemin asked in a small, scared voice.

"Of course," Jongin spluttered.

"Thank you."

Jongin was breathless for a second. He didn't even know where to begin telling Taemin that he wasn't doing him a favor at all. Not coming to Taemin was unthinkable to Jongin. He would rather spend a whole day surrounded by thirty, forty, _fifty!_ unknown persons than stay away from him.

"We can always go to our secret garden... There, we'll be alone."

"Yes," Jongin said softly. "Do you remember our word? All you have to do is tell me about myosotis and I'll protect you. I'll snatch you and bring you away..."

Taemin laughed, twisted his neck to look at him, and scrunched his nose.

"I remember."

"Good."

There was something in Taemin's eyes, in the way he looked at him, that caused Jongin's heart to topple over. He brought one hand to his face and gently stroked his cheek.

"Are you okay?"

Taemin nodded.

"It was just an eventful day... yet I'm still in my pajamas."

"They're really cute pajamas."

"Thank you."

Taemin snuggled up to Jongin and glanced at the coffee table.

"Oh, you made strawberry water..."

"I thought it would cheer you up."

"You're the best."

That little whisper made Jongin's soul sing.

~

Yukhei and Mark were a lot more discreet than Jongin had thought. Or more accurately, they were busier and far more adventurous than expected. In the week following their arrival, Jongin didn't even see them once.

Yukhei simply couldn't stay put; he was always walking around, hiking, traveling, biking, bringing Mark right and left to make him visit the area around his home.

When Jongin had expressed some surprise about it, Taemin had only laughed it off.

"I told you that he travels constantly... He's restless, especially on sunny days. Although... I honestly thought we'd see more of him."

In the early mornings and late evenings, the house was bursting with life and laughter, but when Jongin timidly came to see Taemin, they were always alone. And Taemin relished in their quiet moments. It was in fact even calmer than usual since Chittaphon, their usual little companion, wouldn't let Yukhei out of his sight.

It was only on the day that Jongin had finally calmed down and had stopped worrying about not getting any more time alone with Taemin, that Yukhei came back earlier than usual from his daily wanderings with Mark and Chi. To Jongin's utmost surprise, having the two men around for tea in the garden was a lot less stressful than he had anticipated. Yukhei was talking loudly with grand gestures about the things they saw and did, while Mark joked around and asked Jongin about his week as well; and Jongin didn't feel any overwhelming anxiety. His nervousness was faint, dulled by Taemin's smile and gentle squeeze on his hand.

It didn't even flare up when Yukhei started to talk animatedly about doing a picnic the next day. If at first, Jongin didn't feel particularly included -more because of his own shyness than because of anyone's attitude toward him- when Yukhei turned to him grinning to ask him if he'd be able to join, Jongin felt like a deer caught in headlights. Taemin sensed his surprise and immediately clutched Jongin's hand but before he could say anything, Jongin spoke.

"You want me to come?"

He sounded slightly bewildered.

"Of course," Yukhei exclaimed as if Jongin had just asked something unbelievably silly.

"It will be fun," Mark added.

Instead of fear, Jongin felt warmth, happiness, and excitement wash over him in waves and he eagerly agreed to the invite.

It was all so exhilarating that Jongin could hear his heart pounce wildly. His first immediate thought was that it felt like a novel worthy moment. He was going to attend a picnic. It was almost impossible for him not to think fondly of Anne Shirley -his precious little Anne- in that joyful chapter where she got absolutely thrilled to attend her first picnic party as well. Jongin couldn't help but remember his young self as he read that part, wondering what it would be like to live something as romantic and fanciful as a picnic. And here he was, at 25 years old, elated to be asked to join one. It was fate in its most glorious and magical form.

And it wasn't only a picnic with Taemin -which would already have been dazzling and delightful in every possible way- but with two more persons, whom Jongin actually appreciated and who both _wanted_ him there. It suddenly occurred to Jongin that they weren't just tolerating his presence around them, they were actively seeking it. Jongin was so moved with bliss that he felt almost lightheaded.

Lost in his thoughts, Jongin didn't realize the conversation had moved slightly without him. A gentle stroke on his shoulder brought him back to the present and Jongin turned to see Taemin leaning close to him with a smile.

"You look happy," Taemin whispered.

"I am."

"Then, I'm happy too."

Taemin snuggled to him and pressed his cheek on Jongin's shoulder as he looked toward their two friends still talking together. A very soft warmth spread inside his chest.

The look of pure and endless happiness mixed with shyness that had bloomed on Jongin's face at the mere thought of that picnic was something to be cherished and treasured. Taemin knew, deep down, that he would never get tired of it.

~

They met on the following late morning when the sun was already high in the sky and bathing the field of marigolds in a loving, bright glow. The sunlight seemed different to Jongin in a way that he couldn't quite pinpoint, even less so explain; the colors appeared clearer, more defined, the light was gentler and softer to the eyes. Little did he know that it was all thanks to Yukhei's mere presence; for Jongin continued to remain in a blissful mist of unaware confusion concerning anything slightly out of the ordinary. And so, he simply enjoyed the ever more breathtaking sight of all the flowers and plants around them soaking in that pure, white light. Even Taemin seemed more beautiful than ever before. He was wearing a loose-fitting white blouse with puffed long sleeves and tight, black pants; in other words, an excessively charming and whimsical outfit that caused Jongin to forget momentarily about anything that wasn't him.

In all honesty, it would have been a very complicated process to try to comprehend if Taemin's overwhelming beauty to Jongin's eyes came from Yukhei's shiny influence that made everything look brighter or from his own devastating feelings. Nobody would venture to untangle that.

The fact remained that Jongin was so caught up in gazing lovingly at Taemin as he arrived at the cottage, that he didn't notice anything else. Taemin hopped to him, his small backpack jumping behind him, and immediately proceeded to ask Jongin about his night, his morning, and if he had managed to get the apricots he had promised them to bring.

"I got them, don't worry," Jongin said fondly.

"Oh, I'm not __worried__ ," Taemin said in his usual chirpy voice. "I'm just looking forward to them... If you couldn't get them then it would have been okay. But since you do, I'm excited. We cooked a lot this morning, you know. We made so many wonderful things. And Mark even made us some sandwiches and egg salad. __Western__ egg salad! How exciting!"

Jongin grinned and greeted Mark who had come to them upon hearing his name. Only then, as he finally tore his eyes away from his precious Taemin, did Jongin realize that Yukhei was still waiting by the open door, arms crossed.

"Babe, come on... Jongin arrived, we can go now..." Yukhei called loudly.

"One minute!" a soft, thin voice answered him from the inside of the cottage.

Jongin frowned as he turned to Taemin.

"There's someone else coming?"

The genuine surprise on Taemin's face was almost funny and Jongin found a little comfort to his rising anxiety in seeing that his friend obviously never meant to lead him into a trap.

"Oh right," Taemin whispered, "I forgot-..."

Some movements on his right brought Jongin's eyes and attention back to the doorway where a small man with a pointy nose and a black undercut propped himself on his tiptoes to kiss Yukhei's cheek before he scurried to the three others with a mellifluous laugh.

"I'm ready, we can go!" he said happily. "Oh, hi Jongin!"

Jongin tensed and looked at him warily, unconsciously waddling closer to Taemin.

"Hum... Do we know each other?" Jongin asked stiffly.

The man before him jolted, showing the same surprise Taemin had had. Jongin squinted slightly and tilted his head.

"I feel like I've seen you before," he muttered.

"I'm-..."

"Ten!" Taemin chirped, interrupting him in a gasp. "He's Ten. That's him. Ten. His name is Ten. He's Yukhei's partner. Ten."

Jongin nodded dubiously as he looked at them in turn; Taemin's fidgety figure next to him, Yukhei's blatant bewilderment, and Ten's slight consternation. Only Mark looked vaguely normal, glancing at Jongin like he felt sorry for him.

"Alright," Jongin said slowly.

"I heard a lot about you," Ten said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make it weird."

"No, it's okay," Jongin whispered, reverting to his shy self. "You simply... look a little familiar."

Ten giggled and came forward, grabbing both Mark's and Jongin's arms as he pushed them out of the garden.

"Do I?" he asked as if Jongin's affirmation amused him greatly.

"You do," Jongin murmured. “Did we met already?"

"Maybe we did," Ten said with a mischievous grin. "I also feel like I've seen you... perhaps in a bookshop?"

Jongin widened his eyes and his face immediately brightened as he asked Ten if he ever went to 'the Treasure Island' by any chance - it was the closest bookshop around.

Taemin watched him follow Ten without knowing if he felt glad to see Jongin relaxing to him already, or pouty to have been left behind so easily. But right as he was dejectedly shuffling along to the sound of Yukhei's slightly mocking laugh, he saw Jongin freeze a couple of steps ahead and look around like a lost puppy. When Jongin finally spotted him, he retraced his steps and shyly walked beside him without daring to steal a glance at either Taemin or Yukhei.

"Can I stay with you?" Jongin asked quietly.

Taemin smiled brightly as he took Jongin's hand in his and squeezed it softly.

"Always."

They walked together through the woods following Yukhei's directions and with Taemin by his side, Jongin felt safe. At some point, as they crossed a little bridge and went up a hill, Ten, who was still at the head of their group, started singing cheerfully and everyone ended up singing along to Following the Leader, from Peter Pan. Even Jongin joined, although he did sing quieter than the rest of them because he was slightly embarrassed.

The nature around them was blooming and the large trees shaded them from the sun. It was one of those moments in Jongin's life where he struggled to stay present, in the moment.

He was so used of nothing noteworthy happening to him in reality and splendid things to come up in his imagination, that it was quite difficult not to escape there out of habit. He relied on his mind so much, all the time, daydreaming to make things look better, softer, more romantic, more chivalrous... that he often had trouble to appreciate things as they truly were.

In such a charming moment, Jongin caught himself lost far away in his thoughts. He looked at the flowers and thought of fantasy novels he had read. He looked at the blue sky far above them and wondered how his sisters would react when he'd tell them about his picnic, about singing together with his new friends. Then, he thought about the fact he had just referred to everyone, in the shelter of his mind, as his friends, and how wonderful it was. And when he was so deep in his musing that he would have been unable to remember how his reflections got there, he looked at Taemin who was staring at him with a little smile.

"Where did you go?" Taemin asked.

"Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Sometimes I just see you wander off without me to imaginary places... It's cute. But I always wonder where you go."

Jongin laughed quietly. He glanced around to see that the three others were a little ahead of them; too far to eavesdrop.

"Most of the time, I just think about you..."

"Even when I'm right here with you?" Taemin asked with a grin and a scrunch of his nose.

"Yes," Jongin admitted shyly. "I daydream all the time and I don't even realize that I start thinking too much... But even then, I still want to be around you. So I think of you."

Taemin blushed softly and hid behind his small hand, and Jongin wondered if he had been too cheesy.

"That was smooth..."

Before Jongin could even find what to answer, they heard Ten call for them as they had finally arrived at the place where Yukhei had wanted to bring them. It was an adorable little round of grass surrounded by high, leafy trees that formed a long canopy of green, fragrant bloom over their heads, with enough space for them all to fit comfortably. The ground all around was covered in multicolored wildflowers high enough to brush against their ankles. A small brook on the right weaved gently through the trees and away from them. Jongin felt transported at the sight of such a lovely, hidden corner of the woods. It was perfect in every way, even more beautiful, even more magical than any of his daydreams.

Taemin slipped his hand from Jongin's hold to approach his friends and kneel on the ground as they spread a blue and white striped tablecloth. Jongin shyly came closer to sit next to him; he was a little distracted, still taking on the beautiful view of everything around them and yet trying to keep up with Ten's babbles about the menu as they all took little boxes out of their bags to dress the table.

"Can I sit here?"

Jongin turned to Mark with wide, slightly disoriented eyes, and nodded briskly.

"Yes, of course," he stammered.

Mark grinned as he sat next to him and Taemin immediately leaned over Jongin to reach him.

"Can I have the egg salad? Please?"

Mark laughed and Ten swatted Taemin's shoulder with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, behave!"

They bickered for a while until Yukhei was done putting all the tableware between them. Only then did Ten shut up -not without a sigh- as Taemin dived to grab a bowl and serve himself a large portion of egg salad, discarding all the food he had helped to prepare that morning.

Jongin waited until everyone was already eating to grab some fried tofu rice balls, and ate quietly. He was happy simply sitting there as Yukhei began to talk about some incredible food he had had with Mark, back when they traveled through Canada. He did his best not to switch off from the discussion, not to pay too much attention to the birds chirping around them or the little ants he saw walking by their tablecloth. But he was still too nervous to talk. It all went a little too fast for him and he wasn't sure how he could slip his opinion on any subject they spoke about when they were all too busy joking and jumping from one thing to another. By the time Jongin had constructed a proper sentence in his head about strawberry milkshakes, Mark had changed topics and Jongin bit his lip, reporting his attention back on his food instead. It was still relaxing to be amongst Taemin's friends. His friends. And even if he didn't manage to say anything, being there gave him far more joy than he could have hoped for.

"Do you like it?"

Taemin's small, gentle voice brought him back from his thoughts, as it always did. Jongin blinked and glanced at him with a smile.

"Mhmm?"

"I made them myself," Taemin whispered as he pointed to the kimbap on Jongin's lap.

"They're delicious."

Taemin beamed, proud as a peacock, and thanked him. And Jongin thought that he loved his smile immensely. More than words could express.

When he looked down, Jongin saw Taemin's bowl still filled with his third serving of egg salad.

"I take it you liked Mark's meal."

Taemin's grin turned a little sheepish. It was still the loveliest.

"Yes, it's delicious. Did you try it?"

Jongin pouted, eyeing the salad a little suspiciously.

"I want to but-... I don't know."

"You're scared not to like it?" Taemin giggled.

Jongin only scrunched his nose and squirmed slightly. Before he could venture some silly argument, Taemin brought the spoon to his face and smiled.

"Try it!"

Jongin didn't think about it when he closed his lips around Taemin's spoon and let himself be fed. He couldn't help but giggle at Taemin's satisfied expression and brought one hand to his mouth as he ate, then nodded quickly.

"It's really good."

"I know, right!" Taemin chirped as he gave him another spoonful. "Aren't you glad I didn't let you miss out on it?"

"I'm very glad."

When he noticed the silence next to them, Jongin turned his head to find their three friends staring at them. His surprise matched theirs. Ten was the quickest to cough, look away, and talk about the first thing that came to his mind: fish.

Jongin felt his cheeks warm up in embarrassment but Taemin called for him softly, holding another spoonful of salad for him to eat as if he wasn't in the least bothered by the situation. And Jongin thought that, after all, if Taemin didn't mind feeding him so tenderly in front of witnesses, he should be the last person to complain about it.

Thus, he decided to share his kimbap with Taemin as well. And his heart did strange little leaps as they shared food, sitting close enough to each other for their thighs to touch. Jongin thought that he couldn't be happier.

When they got to dessert, Taemin kept picking fruits and rice cakes to give to Jongin even as he conversed with Mark.

"Jongin," Yukhei called gently, "will you come too?"

Jongin hummed as he looked at him, cursing his mind that had been focusing on Taemin's small hands for the last five minutes and hadn't been paying attention to the conversation in the least.

"I'm sorry?"

Ten snickered.

"We're talking about Taemin's birthday," he said with a fond smile. "Will you come for dinner?"

Jongin straightened up with a gasp and turned to Taemin.

"Your birthday?"

"Yes," Taemin chirped. "It will be on Friday in two weeks. Please, come!"

Jongin opened his mouth to answer that yes, of course, he wouldn't miss it for anything. But a sudden worry clenched his heart and he frowned slightly.

"I uh-... I think I'll be free... Who will be there?"

"We'll do a giant barbecue," Yukhei exclaimed, "and invite everyone! I haven't seen Minho for so long. It's going to be amazing! I'll call them all, I'll take care of everything!"

Jongin tensed without even realizing it and his frown turned anxious. Immediately, Taemin took his hand and laced their fingers as he looked at Yukhei.

"Please don't," Taemin said.

Yukhei stilled and tilted his head in confusion.

"What?"

"I'd rather do it in a small group... Only us. Maybe with Baekhyun and Taeyong."

"But-..."

Yukhei interrupted himself mid-sentence when he seemed to realize what the matter truly was.

"We could invite all our friends for lunch on Thursday instead," Taemin offered with a cheerful smile. "And then, on Friday, we'll have a nice dinner together with Baek' and Taeyong. I think it will be better like this. You know how Baekhyun gets when there are too many people around... He's too excitable and Taeyong is no help in keeping him in check when Jonghyun is nearby."

Taemin was smiling and kept giving more arguments to support his choice. Jongin was morose as he looked at him. A pang of terrible guilt settled in his stomach and made his whole body heavy. His shoulders slumped and even Taemin's thumb stroking the back of his hand didn't comfort him.

"Will you come on Friday, Jonginnie?" Taemin asked again with shining eyes.

He looked so cute that Jongin's heart fluttered despite his sorrow.

"Yes," he whispered. "Yes, of course."

"Wonderful."

Jongin heard Ten speak. Even Mark finally joined the conversation to ask questions about the guests. But Jongin stayed frozen, his eyes on Taemin's small thumb still caressing his skin.

"Myosotis," he murmured.

His voice was so quiet with apprehension and sadness that he thought there was no way Taemin could have heard him. But Taemin stopped himself in the middle of his sentence to look at him. He swiftly got up and pulled Jongin with him.

"We'll be back," Taemin said to their friends. "Please, don't eat all the apricots."

Yukhei chuckled and promised he would guard them against the two others. Jongin barely heard him with how loud his heart was pounding.

Taemin lead him a safe distance away; until they couldn't hear Yukhei anymore. They walked side by side, Taemin clinging to Jongin's arm as if he was the one drowning, and Jongin felt a little safer, a little calmer with each step he took. But the sadness and guilt were still there.

They stopped under a willow tree, its long branches shielding them from the whole world and Jongin breathed deeply. Taemin brought one hand to his face and stroked his cheek gently.

"Can you talk?" Taemin asked.

Jongin nodded.

"How are you feeling?"

"Awful. I don't want you to change your plans because of me," Jongin said quietly. "I know it's because of me. I don't want to be a bother and I don't want to keep you from being with your friends on your birthday... You shouldn't do this..."

Taemin brought his other hand to cup Jongin's face.

"I'm not doing it because of you, I'm doing it for you."

"But you shouldn't." Jongin's voice cracked. "I could-... I could still try to come. I'll do my best if you want me to come."

"Jonginnie," Taemin called.

He waited until Jongin found enough courage to look back at him.

"I don't want you to have to do efforts and to endure my birthday... I want to enjoy it with you."

"But you shouldn't-..."

"I don't care what I should or should not do. I want to be with you. I want to choose you," Taemin murmured in a voice so soft and gentle that Jongin's heart melted. "Let me choose you."

Jongin closed his eyes both in defeat and fondness. He wasn't sure what to do with his emotions.

"I wish you didn't have to make choices because of my anxiety."

"And I'm telling you I don't care. Please don't make it bigger than it truly is, don't let your fear make you believe that you're putting me in a terrible situation. I'll see my friends on Thursday and it's going to be wonderful. And then on Friday, you'll come to me and I'll get to spend my actual birthday with the person I care about the most. How could I be any happier than that? I'll get two birthday parties."

Jongin opened his eyes abruptly.

"You care about me the most?"

"How much more obvious do I have to be, Jonginnie?" Taemin whined.

Jongin giggled. It was a little nervous. He felt the weight on his stomach lessen slightly.

"Are you reassured?" Taemin asked.

"I think... yes."

"I promise you that I don't mind. All I want is for you to be comfortable always."

Jongin thanked him timidly. He was still overwhelmed with emotions yet slowly but surely, the guilt and confusion washed away.

Taemin shifted and made his way closer to the willow tree. He sat against its trunk and looked up to Jongin with gentle eyes.

"Come here."

"Shouldn't we go back to the others?"

"I want to stay with you a little more if you don't mind."

Jongin stared at him as if Taemin had just uttered the silliest thing he had ever heard in his entire life.

"I would never mind staying with you."

Taemin grinned, his eyes creased into little crescents, and he tapped the ground right by his side for Jongin to join him. As soon as Jongin sat, Taemin pulled on his shirt, winning a confused look from the man. Taemin gave him no explanation; he only hummed as he put his hands on Jongin's shoulders and moved him around until Jongin had no other choice than to rest his head on his lap.

"Is this okay?" Taemin asked.

Jongin's throat was too tight for him to speak and he knew his ears, his cheeks, even his forehead had to be red. He nodded shyly and squirmed on the ground until he laid in a comfortable position, curled up on the grass, his head on Taemin's thighs facing the hanging branches of the willow tree caressing the ground.

Taemin brought his hands in Jongin's hair and brushed his strands away from his face.

"You still look nervous..." Taemin mused. "Is it because of my birthday or because I'm too touchy-feely?"

Jongin squeaked weirdly and pressed his cheek harder onto Taemin's lap. He felt Taemin's fingers leave his hair and he missed his touch immediately.

"I'm not used to it," Jongin said in an undertone.

"I'm sorry," Taemin whispered. "I shouldn't have-..."

He shifted slightly to give Jongin enough space to straighten up and step back from him, but Jongin only closed his eyes.

"Can you do it again?"

Taemin's face brightened but Jongin didn't see it. He wasn't looking and completely missed the happiness radiating from Taemin like rays of sunshine.

Without a word, Taemin brought his hands back in Jongin's hair. And it seemed that his worries and fears slowly vanished from his busy mind, brushed away by Taemin's magical fingers.

"Jonginnie?"

"Yes?"

"I don't want to be pushing my luck," Taemin said softly, "so please know you can decline and I won't be upset... But... Do you think you could take a day off Saturday after my birthday?"

Jongin opened his eyelids and turned his head slightly, enough to look at him. Taemin was looking down on him, his purple hair falling around his face prettily and Jongin almost forgot what he had been asked.

"Yes," Jongin whispered. "I think I could. Do you want to meet in the morning?"

Taemin looked a little sheepish, a little timid, far too adorable.

"Well, actually... I thought-..." He took a small inhale to give himself some courage before he kept going. "If you stay for dinner on Friday, I thought our little party might end up late in the evening and you probably won't have any bus by then to bring you home. And so, I was wondering if you'd feel comfortable staying for the night. You could sleep in one of the guest rooms and then, we could have breakfast together on Saturday and... you know... It would be nice."

Jongin's eyes widened comically. His heart pounded so loudly he was absolutely certain that Taemin could hear it, could feel it with the way his hands had slipped on Jongin's neck.

"Really? A sleepover?"

Taemin laughed with a little nod.

"Yes, a sleepover..."

"Sure!" Jongin grinned.

He almost squealed that he had never slept anywhere else than his own home or a family member's and that it was so impossibly exciting. But he realized Taemin must know. It was obvious, really. At whose house could have Jongin ever stayed at, when he had never managed to develop a real friendship with anyone before Taemin?

"Really?" Taemin insisted cheerfully.

"I'd love to!"

"Thank you," Taemin said as if Jongin was doing him a favor.

Any remaining sadness wandering in Jongin's stomach dissipated with the strength of his sudden happiness. He squirmed to lay on his back, no longer too shy to look at Taemin properly. For a moment, he saw the excessive tenderness in Taemin's eyes, the fondness, the affection. And Jongin felt a little like drowning again.

He blinked a couple of times to find back some composure.

Taemin was caressing his cheek and smiling at him.

"Taeminnie?"

The nickname caused Taemin to widen his eyes in delight.

"Yes?"

"What do you want for your birthday?"

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♥♥ hi dears,  
> I hope you liked this chapter & meeting the rest of SuperM :) let me know your thoughts & speculations if you'd like to! (.... but don't come at me for the way I described Yukhei alright? I KNOW I'M WHIPPED)
> 
> See you on Sunday for part 4 & please, take care of yourself
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonyki) // [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/Moonyki)


	4. Chapter 4

.

For the following two weeks, Jongin racked his brain trying to find the perfect birthday present for Taemin. He had asked him about what he wanted at least ten times, to no avail. Taemin kept telling him that he didn't need anything, that Jongin didn't have to get him a gift at all, and finally, after seeing that Jongin simply wouldn't let go of the idea he insisted that he would be perfectly happy with about anything coming from him.

Jongin was struggling. He didn't want to get Taemin a _decent present_. He wanted to offer him something spectacular, amazing, marvelous. Something that would testify of Jongin's endless affection. No less. And such expectations were a lot for a birthday gift that Jongin had to find in only eleven days, even more so when he kept rejecting all the ideas he got because none of them were good enough.

The whole thing almost made him sad, at some point. He felt silly. Like he didn't know Taemin enough, like he had no idea what could make him happy. So Jongin resorted to asking one of his older sisters for help.

He sat on her balcony one late morning, sipping on a cup of tea as he told her about Taemin's upcoming birthday and how their relationship had developed since they last talked about his crush; and after listening to him rhapsodizing about his infatuation for a solid twenty minutes, Jongin's sister simply looked at him straight in the eye as she sighed.

"A love confession would be a great birthday present," she said.

Of course, such a blunt confrontation turned Jongin into a spluttering mess of shyness and mortification, and he was quick to refuse, stuttering all kinds of silly arguments and “ _I could never!_ ”.

It would have been useless to mention such a twist if his sister's insidious idea hadn't somehow stuck into Jongin's mind, coming back to him several times a day and making him blush in the middle of his investigations to find Taemin a proper present. It is unfortunately well known that the most unsolicited thoughts are always outrageously overstaying their welcome.

Thus, in the following week, Jongin _considered_ letting his feelings be known far more than he had ever thought he would. And by the time Taemin's birthday came, Jongin had found a gift that he was quite satisfied with.

~

Jongin arrived at Taemin's in the late afternoon.

The marigolds were bathing in warm, soothing light, and Jongin stopped at the bottom of the hill to let the quietness of the place wash over him. He was facing the sun, still quite high in the sky, and listening to the song of the cicadas hiding in the grass, and he felt serene.

"Jonginnie!"

Taemin's cheerful voice calling for him almost caused Jongin to jolt. He turned his head and squinted his eyes to see Taemin waving at him enthusiastically, perched on his white fence. From where he stood, Jongin could see his beaming grin.

He climbed the hill promptly, eager to reunite with Taemin after a four days long separation, and finally noticed the noises coming from the little cottage. The small garden had been reorganized to fit a large wooden table draped with a white tablecloth and decorated with blue and purple flowers. Garlands of myosotis were hanging across the terrace, surrounding the area and gathering on the high arch of wisteria flowers and branches that stood right at the small front gate.

Taemin waited for him under the blueish blossoms. He looked exquisite with his wavy hair and silver earrings. Jongin was positively entranced.

"Hi, Jonginnie! I've been waiting for you! I almost came to fetch you at the bus stop, you know. But I didn't know when exactly you would arrive and Taeyong kept calling for me in the kitchen... How are you? How was your day?"

Jongin looked at him fondly. He took Taemin's hand in his and laced their fingers, rejoicing in the happy twinkle it brought to Taemin's eyes.

"Happy birthday, Taeminnie," he said in lieu of an answer.

Driven by a sudden bravery that he didn't know he possessed, Jongin leaned forward, tilted his head, and pressed a soft kiss on Taemin's reddening cheek.

"Your birthday kiss," Jongin whispered shyly.

Taemin stared at him in a daze.

"Thank you," he said in a tight voice.

Jongin grinned at him and straightened back up to look around, watching as Yukhei and Mark were busying themselves around the grill.

"Is there anything I can help with, maybe?" Jongin offered.

Taemin blinked quickly to come back from his daydreams and coughed slightly.

"Do you guys-?" Taemin began to say but Yukhei turned to him with a smug grin before he was done with his sentence.

"Nah, don't worry about us. We got this. You two can keep doing whatever it is you are doing over there. Hi, Jongin."

Jongin greeted him back and shyly waved at Mark while Taemin proceeded to try to murder his roommate with his stare alone.

They heard a loud crash coming from the cottage, followed by high-pitched cries and grumbled groans that caused them all to jolt.

"Maybe Taeyong needs help though," Mark mumbled.

It turned out that Taeyong, indeed, needed help to keep Baekhyun out of the kitchen so he would stop messing with the food and complaining about garlic being used in too many of the meals. Jongin stayed under the archway as he watched Taemin bickering with Baekhyun while Taeyong and Ten were still actively running in the tiny kitchen to cut vegetables and prepare some sauce.

Jongin stood gaping, wide eyes staring at the stack of food on each small area in the room. A feast was being made in the narrow kitchen and for a moment, Jongin wondered if they truly didn't expect anyone else. There was no way the seven of them could gobble all of that.

"You cooked so much..." Jongin whispered in awe.

Taeyong looked up to him with a large, proud grin.

"Yes," he chirped, "so Taemin can have a lot to eat even tomorrow and for the next few days."

Taemin chuckled and gave Jongin a small awkward smile.

"I couldn't stop him..." he murmured.

"I know you're happy about it," Taeyong exclaimed as he turned away and went back to his preparations.

Jongin bit his lip as he kept looking around to assess all the meals already done.

"Did you make some dessert?"

Taeyong snorted and gave him an offended look over his shoulder.

"Of course, I did! I made not one but two wonderful cakes, I'll have you know! Nobody will starve on my watch. Even if there are some things you don't like," Taeyong threw a baleful glance at his boyfriend, "you'll still have plenty to eat."

"Oh. That's awesome..." Jongin said quietly but with a kind smile.

Taemin squinted as he looked at him, softly wrapping one hand around Jongin's arm.

"Is something the matter, Jonginnie?"

Jongin shyly glanced at him and freed himself from his hold to take off his backpack.

"I'm sorry if it's too much but... I told my mother that your birthday was coming... And you know, I talked about you so much and she's so excited whenever I mention you... It's embarrassing and kinda silly, I guess. I went to see her before I came here because she wanted me to bring you these..."

Timidly, Jongin grabbed a little box wrapped in a pretty silk patchwork and held it out to Taemin.

"She made you some rice cakes..." Jongin added in a whisper.

Taemin gasped as he held the box close to his chest and a large, bright smile bloomed on his face.

"Did she? That's so adorable!"

"I didn't expect that you'd have so much to eat already. If it's too much, I can take them back."

Abruptly, Taemin turned away from him with a fierce pout to protect his present.

"Yah! They're mine! Keep your paws off!"

Jongin's eyes widened comically and he let out a little laugh.

"Oh, I see..."

"Please, thank your mother immensely for me. I'm very touched."

"Will do," Jongin said softly.

When they turned back to the others, Taeyong was sporting a very displeased expression as he hugged Baekhyun to prevent him from touching anything, while Ten was laughing behind them, still cutting his carrots.

"Would you please drag this nuisance away so I can finish preparing dinner?" Taeyong whined loudly like someone at the edge of the abyss.

"I just want a little taste," Baekhyun simpered. "I'm very hungry."

"Just ten minutes ago you were complaining that you couldn't eat anything here because of garlic... You're unreasonable, Baekhyunnie."

Taemin laughed loudly and hauled Baekhyun away and back into the garden, still holding on to his box of rice cakes preciously. Jongin lingered behind, squirming on his feet as he stole a timid look at Taeyong.

"I'm sorry for the rice cakes," Jongin apologized. "If I had known you would cook so much I would-... I wouldn't have brought them."

Taeyong stared at him for a second but softened quickly and smiled kindly.

"Nonsense! There's nothing to apologize for, Jongin. It's a lovely, thoughtful present from your mother. Don't worry about it, please. Taemin looked delighted and that's all that matters to me."

"Oh, okay... Thank you then."

Taeyong nodded softly, then sighed as he went back to his preparations.

"You uh-... You can call if you need help," Jongin said.

Ten straightened up to wink at him.

"We will! Don't worry about us. You'll be of the best help by distracting Taemin and Baekhyun."

Jongin smiled, nodded a few times, and went away back into the garden.

Luckily, his nonexistent conversation skills weren't much needed when it came down to it, as Yukhei and Mark entertained Baekhyun with art talks for over an hour. Jongin sat at the table next to Taemin and tried to follow the discussion.

The heat of the day was subsiding and a soft breeze came up from the forest. The garden was peaceful, filled with laughter and slowly being engulfed in delicious scents of cooking. It was so lovely that Jongin did his absolute best not to wander away into some magical corner of his mind. He didn't understand the subject at hand for he was rather uneducated on paintings, or at least, not well enough to grasp the complicated terms that Baekhyun and Yukhei were using to describe the pieces they had seen in museums on the other side of the world. Even Taemin took part in the conversation, talking about things that were obscure to Jongin while holding his hand.

And it was then that the most peculiar of things happened. Baekhyun, out of all people, turned to Jongin.

Since the very first time he had seen him, Baekhyun had made a really strong impression on him. He had seen him a couple of times after that, even had tea with him and Taeyong when they visited Taemin while he was around, but Baekhyun had never all that much talked to him. Taeyong had always been the one trying to bring Jongin into whatever they had been talking about.

To Jongin, Baekhyun was amazing. Awe-inspiring, in fact. He spoke with ease, joked all the time, and was altogether a very attractive person; in the sense that it was impossible not to look at him, not to feel drawn to him. He was as charming as he was sarcastic. Truth be told, Jongin never knew where he stood around him.

But on that day, Baekhyun turned to him with a very kind, relaxed face.

"What about you, Jongin? Do you like painting?"

Jongin choked on his glass of strawberry water, coughed, and felt Taemin gently pat his back. It took him a few minutes to get back from his shock and when he straightened up, Baekhyun was still looking at him, his gaze unchanged.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, it's alright," Jongin squeaked.

When Baekhyun reiterated his question, Jongin felt his cheeks burn. He didn't have any other choice than to admit that he did enjoy looking at some paintings in museums when he got the chance but he had no idea what they had been talking about all along. He knew next to nothing about painting techniques and couldn't exactly remember a particular artist or work that he liked.

For some reason, he had expected Baekhyun to snort. Maybe to be slightly offended as he was, after all, an artist himself. But Baekhyun only hummed softly and then asked him if he was interested in any other form of art and if so, which. Surprised, Jongin turned to Taemin; but his friend only smiled at him and encouraged him to answer. And when Jongin admitted that he loved reading the most but that he also liked the seventh art, Baekhyun seemed delighted.

To Jongin's utmost bewilderment, he immediately asked him about his favorite books, authors, series. They discussed literature, the Russian authors that Taemin had introduced Jongin to -and that Baekhyun had introduced to him in the first place- and Mark was quick to join the discussion, as well as Ten, from the opened window to the kitchen. Jongin had no more time to daydream -or try not to- for suddenly, he understood everything that was being said and his opinion kept being asked.

They talked about cinema, even tv shows and dramas, as they started having dinner and ate Taeyong's delicious seaweed soup. Taemin chirped that Jongin should show him his favorite historical drama one day.

"We should watch it together!"

Fortuitously, Jongin was too busy happily talking about zombie movies with Yukhei to realize what was going on. Or else, he would have probably freaked out and potentially shut down out of incredulity. But Taemin, who was sitting next to him, was very much aware of the way Jongin was opening up, talking excitedly about some actor he loved, his stutter a distant memory.

There was no greater joy for Taemin than to witness his lovely Jongin being comfortable enough to speak freely and debate with their friends about things he was passionate about. It was the most wonderful of all birthday gifts.

~

The dinner went on long after the sun had set. Yukhei, Ten, and Taeyong got up to light candles and lanterns all around the garden until they could see each other well enough and it gave the area an even more mysterious and enchanting aura.

Jongin thought that Taemin looked ethereal, heavenly even, as he grinned at him under such a soft light.

When they were finally done with the main courses, Baekhyun suggested that Taemin should open his gifts before the cakes. They cleared the table and brought all their presents to pile them before a delighted, excited Taemin.

As a first gift, he chose the small box coming from Jongin's mother and opened it to share the soft cakes with everyone. And Jongin received many compliments on behalf of his mother. He was blushing, bowing left and right as he promised to thank his mother for all of them.

Then, he started getting slightly anxious again. His mind wandered away. He suddenly realized how comfortable he had been the whole evening, and how sad it was that he couldn't always be that calm and relaxed. But he wasn't all that confident in his gift and his nervosity rose, tieing his stomach into a knot and making his hands moist. He couldn't help wondering if Taemin would like it, if their friends would think it was a silly present, if it would clash and be disappointing next to everything else.

Yukhei offered Taemin a small little plant, so colorful that Jongin could barely believe his eyes. He vaguely heard him explain that he had found it somewhere in North America but he couldn't exactly focus on Yukhei's voice. It sounded faint and distant. Jongin was staring at the bright yellow and red petals, the vivid green leaves, and it seemed to him that the plant _moved_. On its own. Between Taemin's small hands.

Jongin frowned, but soon his amazement faded. He was still staring at the little plant with a sigh -thinking that it was incredibly cute- when Taemin put it away back on the table while thanking Yukhei profusely.

Ten offered him a small velvet packet and looked at him enigmatically as he explained that it contained the seeds that Taemin had wanted for so long. He said " _the seeds_ " in a soft purr as if it would be understandable for everyone, and thus, Jongin didn't dare to ask more about it. But Taemin looked positively ecstatic.

The look on Ten's face caused Jongin to frown. It happened sometimes that the man looked at him right in the eyes, deeply, as if he was staring at his very soul, and it always gave Jongin a feeling of familiarity that he couldn't exactly pinpoint. Even if he wasn't looking at him directly at that moment, Jongin felt that weird intimacy watching Ten's knowing gaze.

Mark offered Taemin a small polished case with a beautiful feather quill and ink set. Taemin hugged him, chirping that he had had such a wonderful idea despite knowing him for such a little time, and Mark blushed as he admitted that Yukhei had helped him greatly.

"Still," Taemin said with a nod.

And despite himself, Jongin twisted his fingers on his lap. His heart was pounding. He couldn't help the slight nausea that invaded him. His sister might have told him that a gift coming from his heart would surely please Taemin no matter how modest it was, Jongin was terrified. He wished he had had more experience in offering gifts to friends before he had to do so to the man he loved with all of his heart.

Taeyong offered Taemin a journal. It looked quite old, ornamented with golden calligraphy on its leather cover, and it closed with a black cord. Taeyong explained that the cover was hand-painted. He had found it in a very cute antique store in France, and when he whispered that he had _blessed_ it, Taemin abruptly perked up and squealed a few thanks. Jongin didn't even try to understand what he meant. And he was too nervous to ask.

Then, Taemin grabbed Jongin's present. When he felt him tense up next to him, Taemin glanced at him and smiled.

"Is it yours?"

Too nervous to speak, Jongin only nodded.

Taemin untied the fabric and gasped as he looked at the book on his lap. The cover showed a beautiful scenery in a forest, with two white little creatures amongst large, bright, and shiny flowers.

Taemin clasped the book in his hands and turned excitedly to Jongin.

"Oh, it's the book you told me about, right?"

Jongin was blinking fast, his anxiety overwhelming him completely.

"Yes... It uh-... It's the-... It's the first book. Of the series, I mean. I hope-... I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will. Thank you, Jonginnie!"

"It's not much..." Jongin stammered.

The five others were trying to peak from their seats; Baekhyun was the less discreet about it.

"What is it?" Ten asked.

"The Moomins and the Great Flood," Taemin chirped as he showed them all the cover and let them grab the book for a closer look. "It's one of Jongin's favorites series! Look how pretty it is!"

Jongin saw Taemin radiating happiness as he explained to his friends their talk about those lovely characters, and he thought that his sister had been right.

When Taemin took his hand and squeezed it as he thanked him once more, Jongin plucked up his courage.

"I have another gift," he said softly, "but uhm-... I'll give it to you a little later if that's okay."

It was a way for him not to slip away from the decision he had taken two days ago. If he told Taemin, surely, his friend would confront him about it sooner or later.

Taemin's eyes shone in the subdued light of the garden and Jongin almost sighed at the sight.

"Yes," Taemin said – almost purred. "Sure."

"Please open my present before hinting that we're all superfluous around here," Baekhyun simpered.

Taemin pulled out his tongue while Jongin only blushed and remained quiet.

Baekhyun offered Taemin a small print he had been working on for a while, especially for him. Jongin couldn't help his gasp as he saw it over Taemin's shoulder. It was a beautiful landscape of a lake, surrounded by high trees of very deep green. It was calming to look at. Almost hypnotizing.

As Taemin showed it around, Taeyong started babbling about Baekhyun's inspiration when he made it, and little anecdotes on the making because he simply couldn't help himself from spilling his pride at how amazing his boyfriend was.

Eventually, Ten reminded Taeyong of the cakes waiting to be eaten, and he stopped praising Baekhyun in favor of rushing to the kitchen.

Jongin was the only one struggling to eat the desserts and he couldn't even begin to comprehend how it was that the others could still gobble so much cake after such a heavy dinner.

They were still sitting and talking long after neither of them could keep eating. Taemin had squirmed closer to Jongin, laying his head on the man's shoulder, and he seemed happy to listen to him talking with Yukhei and Mark about this and that. The anxiety that had come back during the unwrapping of the gifts was gone again. Jongin's voice was calm and clear-cut. He didn't realize he was gently stroking Taemin's thigh with one hand. But Taemin did, and it made butterflies fly around in his chest and stomach.

At some point, Taemin snuggled even closer, pressing his face into Jongin's neck, fingers playing with the small bear stitched on Jongin's white shirt, and Jongin finally turned to him with a soft smile.

"Are you okay, Taeminnie?"

Taemin hummed quietly but just as Jongin was looking back to Yukhei, he sighed.

"Myosotis."

Jongin froze with a little gasp. It took him a moment to process what Taemin had said and that it was his time to save him from whatever had made him uncomfortable. Jongin, after all, wasn't used to being anyone's savior. He was usually the young lord in distress.

And he didn't notice Taemin's mirthful smile.

With lost, worried eyes, Jongin abruptly got up and bowed to all their friends.

"I uh-... I need to go away for a minute. With Taemin."

He tried not to blush while facing their teasing, amused glances and grins but failed very much. Without any other explanation, Jongin grabbed Taemin's hand and helped him get up before he brought him away.

They entered the house and walked quickly to the living-room. They could still faintly hear their friends talking and laughing a few meters away.

"Are you okay?" Jongin asked as he squeezed Taemin's hand in his.

"Yes yes, I'm fine..." Taemin giggled.

"But you said-..."

Taemin scrunched his nose with a guilty pout.

"I just wanted to be alone with you."

"Oh," Jongin gasped. "Oh, alright. I see."

"Do you mind?"

Jongin softened; his whole body relaxed.

"You know I don't."

"I wanted to go to our secret garden," Taemin said softly. "Is it okay to go into the forest at night? If it makes you anxious or scared-..."

"Not, it's fine."

Taemin squinted and made him promise that he wasn't afraid to go around in the woods close to midnight with only a lantern to guide their way. When Jongin gave him his solemn word that he wouldn't get frightened, Taemin grabbed them a lantern each and lead him to the back garden and into the darkness. If he were to be completely and utterly honest, Jongin had lied. Just slightly. He wasn't sure that he wouldn't be creeped out by the shadows moving between the trees and most of all, he couldn't promise that his imagination wouldn't go wild and convince him that they were being followed by creepy monsters and ghosts... But still, Jongin would follow Taemin anywhere. Even into a pitch-black forest.

Yukhei's loud laugh slowly fainted as they went away down the hill, following the twisted little path toward the trees. The night was warm and quiet, and Jongin couldn't help but look up to the stars, so visible and shiny in the dark sky.

He thought that despite the possible scare, the whole thing was impossibly romantic; running away from everyone with Taemin, at night, under such a bright and beautiful moon; holding hands with the man he was so deeply in love with as they flew through flowers, heading to their very special secret place. It was whimsical. And Jongin's heart was racing with thrill. The possibility of being attacked by a werewolf just added some more romanticism to their adventure. That was, at least, Jongin's opinion – and he wasn't particularly known to be a reasonable person.

When they arrived at the edge of the woods, Taemin stopped. He looked timid as he turned to Jongin. In fact, he looked shyer than Jongin had ever seen him. He was squirming, unable to look at Jongin in the eyes.

"Jonginnie... I uh-... I prepared-... I have something for you."

"For me?"

Taemin closed his eyes, took a long inhale, and finally faced him with a resolute frown.

"Yes, for you."

Silently, Taemin let go of Jongin's hand and turned away to walk to a little nook between trees next to them where laid a fallen trunk. On it was a rock. And under the rock, a letter. Taemin took it and brought it back to Jongin with a shaky sigh.

"Here."

It was the same kind of fancy, heavy envelop that Jongin had received, all those weeks ago in his little post office. Jongin's heart got carried away at the sight of it. It was almost too much for his soul to take. Taemin had prepared such a dreamy, exciting getaway.

With trembling hands, Jongin put down his lantern on the ground and took the letter. Just as he was about to open it, Taemin stopped him by wrapping a gentle hand around Jongin's wrist.

"Wait... Uh-..." he took another long inhale. "Would you mind if I left you here? I thought-... I thought I would go. To our garden. So you can read this here alone. And then... and then, we'll see. Is it alright? Is it too scary?"

Jongin tilted his head slightly. Taemin saw his eyes filling with worry and confusion.

"What?" Jongin murmured apprehensively.

"Is it too much to ask?" Taemin asked with tearful eyes.

Jongin swallowed his spit and looked down at the letter in his hands once more. He was getting a little anxious despite all his excitement, but he refused to let it drown him. Not when Taemin had put so much effort into his plan. Whatever it was. Jongin trusted him.

"No," Jongin said. "No, it's fine. Anything you want."

Taemin smiled sweetly. He stood on tip-toe to reach Jongin and kiss his cheek quickly. It dissipated most of Jongin's fears.

"Thank you, Jonginnie. I'll see you in a few minutes then."

He turned away and Jongin nervously grabbed his wrist before he could vanish.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

Taemin squirmed again. He made a few funny faces as if he had just eaten a lemon.

"Yes, yes... I promise! It's just-... You'll see. You'll read. I'll wait for you there, with the dahlias."

"You promise? You'll be there?"

"Of course," Taemin whispered tenderly.

"I feel like... if I let you go... you'll just disappear and I'll never see you again... Is that silly?"

Taemin laughed. He brought Jongin's hand to his face and kissed his knuckles.

"I won't disappear, I swear. I'll be waiting for you."

Taemin's words calmed the last of Jongin's irrational fear. His heart was still pounding but he let go of Taemin's wrist and watched him go away through the trees, waving his hand timidly.

When Taemin was out of sight, Jongin sighed loudly. He looked around himself, then into the dark forest, and back to the hill. In the distance, he saw the faint light coming from the garden where their friends were still having fun. And he found himself surprised by how calm he was. The forest, even at night, didn't look gloomy or threatening. The soft wind going through the branches didn't make him jolt. It was calm and appeasing.

In fact, at that moment, as he stood alone in the dead of night at the fringe of the woods, Jongin, more than ever before, got the strange little feeling in his chest that the trees had some kind magic in them. Of course, he didn't know how right he was.

Jongin grabbed his lantern and walked to the abandoned, fallen trunk where he sat. He put the lamp next to him, close enough so that he would be able to read Taemin's letter, and opened the envelope with a tight throat.

_Dearest Jongin,_

_I've been staring at this paper for at least thirty minutes already, wondering where to start. You see, I have something to tell you today that is quite difficult to put into words. I am nervous and I want to make it perfect._

_I feel like this is such a terrible start. Oh, pardon me. I wish to write to you the most romantic love letter of all times but it's such a hard task._

_Jongin, I'm writing you a love letter. I've been waiting so long to do so... truly. But I lacked courage. One cannot write a love letter when they don't feel brave enough, can they? So I patiently waited until the day finally came where I could write that I love you. Those are, after all, very difficult words to write._

_I love you, Jongin. With all of my heart. With all of the tenderness that I possess. I love you like the sun loves the marigolds in front of my home. I love you like the bees love all wildflowers. I love you more than any metaphor I can think of could ever express. I'm not a very poetic person and I struggle trying to confess to you... But I want to tell you that everything I learned about you ever since you stumbled in my forest charmed me in ways that I didn't know were even possible._

_I know that you, out of all people, will forgive me for my clumsiness. Won't you? I truly wish I could have written the most beautiful of love letters but I am only me and my feelings sometimes feel too big for me._

_And that is why I'm writing to you in the first place. I said one needs to be brave to write such important words as 'I love you' but saying them... it takes a courage I do not have yet. I often lose my courage when you're near me, looking at me with your pretty eyes. I feel like I'm drowning. Like a ship caught in a storm. One glance from you renders me quiet and trembling. But I feel like you don't realize the power you have over me._

_Jongin, a few weeks ago, we sat at my piano. That day, you told me that you dream of a romance. If only you knew how much I wanted to give you one on the spot, right there, right then... but I am quite feeble and I didn't dare to confess, I didn't dare to tell you that I dream of a romance too, but only with you._

_I wish to be able to tell you, though. One day. I wish to be allowed to hold you closer and tighter than I have done until now. I wish to be allowed to kiss your lips. I wish to be allowed into the deepest corners of your beautiful heart._

_But Jongin, I hope you will not fear me. If you happen not to love me, if it is so that the romance you want isn't with me at all... I will not speak of it again. See, my love for you has nothing to do with me. And everything to do with you. It's all about you._

_When I tell you that I love you, I do not expect anything from you. Forgive the bold words of the wishes I hold in my heart. All I want is for you to know that you are loved. For exactly everything that you are. I know of your worries, I know of your insecurities, I know of the things you think about yourself... But I want you to know that I see your kindness, and I see your passion, and your strength, your creativity, your beautiful, amazing mind, and I love every bit of them. I love the way you think and the way you talk, even when you stutter and even when you need time to order your thoughts. I love your smile and I love the way you look at flowers. You are beautiful in every possible way and I am so in love with you, Kim Jongin._

_And all I truly wish for is your happiness. However it appears. However I appear in it. I love you with the meaning of a myosotis._

_I hope that by writing all of this, I didn't bring you any discomfort. I hope you won't feel too upset to come back and see me... Lately, I have been under the impression that my confession might not come unwanted. If I was mistaken, please forgive me. I have never meant to cause you any distress._

_Jongin, I thought that maybe... if you love me back... oh, I feel so silly writing those words. I'm quite overwhelmed with hope. If you love me back, would you come to me, in our secret garden?_

_I'll be waiting for you there. I'll wait for a moment if you need to think it through. Just in case._

_But if you don't, would you please not come? Please let me wait there in that space where I'll hope that you'll come to me. You don't owe me any explanation. I won't ask for any. You can go back to the cottage then, and Yukhei could even bring you back to your home if you'd rather not stay for the night after all._

_Please know that whatever it comes down to, I will never reproach you anything. I only wish that you would be comfortable enough to come back so we can remain friends. And if you wish so, I will never speak of this letter again._

_With all the endless love in my heart,_

_Your bosom friend,_

_Taemin._

Tears had overflown and run over Jongin's cheeks since the middle of Taemin's letter. They were far from stopping when he reached its end.

His heart was thundering and he struggled to breathe through his sniffles and his sobs.

Jongin closed his eyes, and his trembling hands put the letter aside just so he wouldn't ruin it as he tried to wipe out his tears.

He thought that it was such a shame to be crying at a time like this. Yet, he wasn't sure how else to react. He was completely overwhelmed, his mind racing as it tried to process what he had read.

Taemin loved him. Taemin was in love with him. Taemin loved him; Kim Jongin, the shy little boy who had daydreamed about having friends for as long as he had lived because no one had ever been interested in listening to what he had to say. He, who had dreamed of a deep understanding, of a relationship so meaningful it would seem to have been written in the stars, something worthy to be called magical, a _soulmate_. He, who had always thought that his dreams were far too big for his small self.

Jongin gasped and rubbed his cheeks, wiping his hands on his jeans before he took back the letter to read it all over again. His heart clenched.

He was loved. Truly and fully. _For everything that he was_. It was almost odd to think of himself in the way that Taemin saw him. The letter made Jongin seem so wonderful, so precious, so kind. And it was just exactly why Taemin loved him.

Jongin was so overwhelmed, so happy beyond what words could express, that he didn't realize that he had been sitting there for a while, gasping for breaths, his tears never running dry. It was only when he read the letter for the third time that he suddenly became aware of the fact that Taemin was waiting for him. And had been for quite some time.

With a choked gasp of pure horror, Jongin got up on his shaky legs. He folded the letter back into the envelope, grabbed his lantern, and stumbled away through the twisted path to their secret garden. He almost fell on his face twice, in his haste to reach Taemin quicker.

When the wisterias finally came into view, Jongin bit his lip. And he wondered if he was dreaming.

Their garden looked like a fairy tale. The dahlias that they had planted weeks ago had bloomed and were somehow still fully open in the night, covering the ground around the beautiful purple blooms of the trees, illuminated by a myriad of fireflies floating and flying around.

Taemin was standing under one of the wisterias, staring at him with wide eyes, his mouth open in surprise. No matter how much time had passed, he hadn't been able to look away from the path, hoping, longing, desperately wishing to see Jongin walk to him. Even as sadness had slowly started to rise in his stomach and his chest, he had hardly blinked.

Jongin breathed out and smiled softly. A few meters away, Taemin mimicked him. Without a word, Jongin looked down, set both his lantern and his envelope safely to the ground again, and timidly walked up to Taemin.

He stopped right in front of him and cupped his face. He had so many things to tell Taemin but his lips remained sealed as words failed him once more. It was too difficult to hear himself think and to form anything coherent in his overjoyed mind.

"You cried," Taemin murmured when he finally noticed Jongin's red nose and puffy eyes.

Taemin brought his hands on Jongin's waist, holding on his shirt for dear life and Jongin nodded quietly in lieu of an answer.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," Taemin said.

"I'm not," Jongin whispered.

He tilted his head slightly and kissed Taemin.

He only pecked his lips shyly, unsure exactly of what he should do and how. But it already caused his heart and his head to spin. And soon enough, Taemin kissed him back very slowly, almost reverently.

It was just as soft as Jongin had always imagined kissing would be. But it was even more emotional and passionate than anything he had dreamed about for the simple fact that he was kissing Taemin. And Taemin meant everything to him.

Jongin was convinced that no one ever had and would ever have lips as perfectly plushy and delicious as Taemin's.

"I love you too," Jongin said softly against Taemin's lips, eyes still closed and heart pounding.

He felt Taemin smile and try to kiss him again.

Taemin's hands slipped from Jongin's waist to his back, hugging him loosely. He lead him into another few tentative kisses, slow and voluptuous, tasting Jongin's lips lovingly.

When they parted again, Jongin's face was red and hot. He was struggling to hold Taemin's tender gaze.

"I'm sorry I took so long to come-" Jongin confessed quietly, but Taemin shushed him.

"Don't apologize. You're here and you just made me the happiest man alive."

Jongin chuckled with embarrassment.

"To that extent?"

"Didn't you read just how much I love you?" Taemin teased with a small pout.

Jongin looked down awkwardly but smiled.

"I did..."

Taemin gently pulled his face out of Jongin's hold only to come closer and press himself against him in a tight hug, hiding his face in the crook of Jongin's neck with a sigh. Jongin let him squirm for a moment before he wrapped his arms around his lover's slim figure.

"Taeminnie..."

Taemin hummed softly. It sounded like a soft purr of contentment.

"I wanted to confess to you tonight..." Jongin admitted.

Taemin stilled in his arms, then laughed against his chest.

"You did?"

"I did."

Quite reluctantly, Taemin pulled back to look at Jongin and scrunched his nose.

"Was it supposed to be my second birthday present?"

"Kind of."

Jongin broke their hug, earning himself a pout that he answered to with a smile, and he brought one hand to his back pocket to get the little packet he had kept all night.

"So..." he breathed out. "I hope you won't find it weird-..."

"I won't."

Jongin glanced at Taemin and relaxed.

"Yes, it's you after all," he said, more to himself than to Taemin. "I know you love flowers, and plants, and nature more than anything... and uh-... I don't know... I thought that maybe, you would like gemstones and crystals too. I don't know a lot about them so I hope I'm not being silly..."

"You're not silly," Taemin assured.

"Right," Jongin giggled. "So yeah... I was in a store and I saw those little stones."

Jongin opened his tiny bag and took two stones out of it, smooth and shiny. One was of a transparent white - the soft light of the fireflies in their garden made faint rainbows appear on it - and the other was of a luminous yellow.

"This one," he continued, showing Taemin the white stone, "is called an Angel Aura Quartz. It represents happiness, beauty, and joy. It is said to be uplifting, and bring a childlike joy... So I thought it was your stone."

Taemin perked up with a large grin.

"Oh really?"

"That's how I feel," Jongin said clumsily.

"And the other one is yours?"

Jongin breathed out with a little frown.

"Actually, when I looked at all the stones in the store... I-... I tried to see myself the way you do. I thought about the dahlias and everything you said about me when you told me they were my flowers. This stone is a Citrine. It's uh-... Now I feel silly and pretentious."

"Don't," Taemin immediately squealed. "I think you got it perfectly. The Citrine is the light maker."

Jongin gasped.

"You know about gemstones?"

"I do," Taemin grinned.

"Oh do you-... Do you have them already?"

Taemin gazed at him fondly and couldn't resist straightening up to press a kiss at the corner of Jongin's lips.

"No, I don't. But please, don't feel silly. I definitely agree that the Citrine is your stone. Now, what do those stones have to do with your confession? Are they both for me?"

"Well. No. I thought that-... If I chickened out and didn't manage to confess, I would give you your stone and keep mine. And then... If I managed and if by some miracle you loved me back, I was hoping that uh-... you'd keep mine and I'd keep yours. That's it."

Taemin gave him a sly look before he laughed.

"You smart little thing... Planning a retreat like this."

Jongin laughed and his eyes shone with both mirth and joy when Taemin picked the Citrine to hold it tight in his hand.

"It was a lovely idea, thank you," Taemin simpered. "We now have boyfriend stones."

"We do."

Taemin brought him into another kiss.

They stayed amongst their wisterias and dahlias for a moment, relishing in each other and whispering sweet nothings in the small space between their lips until Jongin stifled his first yawn. Then, Taemin forced him to go back, luring him by reminding him that he would spend the night at the cottage and they'd be able to have breakfast together the next morning.

When they arrived back at the cottage, their friends had already cleared the table and washed the dishes. The front garden was quiet, barely illuminated by the few candles left. Only Baekhyun and Taeyong remained, staring at the stars and cuddling on pillows they had brought from the living room. Baekhyun told them that the others had gone to sleep.

"I prepared you the same room you usually stay in," Taemin said.

Taeyong thanked him in the middle of a few good night wishes.

Jongin picked his bag next to the couch and followed Taemin in the small maze of stairs and hallways until they reached the third floor. Jongin was far too lost in loving, adoring thoughts to even realize that the cottage was a two-story house and that reaching the third floor was extremely odd, to say the least.

Taemin lead him to two doors facing each other before he turned to him, snuggling against Jongin.

"I thought you could sleep here...," he said while pointing at the right door. "It's very cozy and cute and it's also opposite my bedroom."

Jongin grinned.

"So I can see you first thing in the morning?"

"So you can. And you'll find a bathroom second door on your left."

Jongin thanked him and stole another few lingering kisses, unwilling to part just yet. Taemin eventually cupped his face and dropped a myriad of small kisses all over Jongin's cheeks and nose.

"Go to sleep now, Honey. Have sweet dreams."

Jongin straightened up. His eyes widened, his cheeks reddened, and Taemin grinned.

"Honey?" Jongin repeated in a high-pitched tone.

"You don't like it?"

"I do!" Jongin squeaked.

Taemin pecked his lips one last time, despite himself.

"Honey it is, then. To bed, now."

Jongin opened the door to his assigned bedroom and smiled at his boyfriend, wishing him good night fondly.

The guest bedroom was rather small and devoid of any clutter that would make it personal but, as Taemin had promised, it gave a cozy feeling. A large bed with a set of deep green sheets was pushed in the corner, under quite a large window framed with heavy, cream curtains. With a delighted sigh, Jongin sat on the bed, smiling as he bounced on it to feel it better.

He looked around for a moment, his eyes lingering on the comfortable green armchair facing him, and the thrown wool blanket on its armrest. He glanced at the small nightstand and put his gemstone on it, as close to the bed as he could. Then his thoughts drifted and he reviewed the whole day quietly until he suddenly fumbled around to find Taemin's letter back and read it once more.

Tears bead in his eyes again and he ended up chuckling softly at his emotional self. Somehow, he was still failing to realize everything that had happened that night. He blamed the late hour for it and wondered how different the next day would feel.

Jongin finally changed into his pajamas and tiptoed to the bathroom to brush his teeth, wash his face, and take his lenses off. But as he came back to go to bed, at last, he realized that the sleepiness that had fallen on him earlier had vanished and he was left feeling alert and too excited to sleep.

Jongin bit his lip as he crossed the hallway and winced when he knocked on the door. Taemin's soft voice answered almost immediately.

"Come in."

Jongin shyly opened the door and peeked inside bashfully.

"Hi, it's me."

"As expected," Taemin simpered before he gasped. "Oh, you have your cute glasses!"

"I uh-... Am I bothering you?"

Taemin shook his head and motioned for him to enter properly.

"Welcome to my dwelling," Taemin chirped as he opened his arms broadly.

Jongin had never set foot into Taemin's bedroom for all the times he had been around and he was extremely curious. It turned out to be exactly as he had imagined.

The bed was massive, with far too many pillows for only one person to sleep on. Jongin saw a nightstand carved in a deep, dark brown, the same as the chest of drawers next to the door and the multiple sets of shelves all around the room; every flat surface was filled with so many books, plants, and various knick-knacks that the walls were barely visible. It looked like the cozy den of a little goblin.

"What do you think?" Taemin asked with curiosity.

"It's very much you," Jongin giggled. "I love it."

"Well, thank you!"

Jongin awkwardly sat at the edge of the bed and Taemin tilted his head at him.

"Did you need something?"

"I just wasn't tired anymore."

Taemin squinted but a sneaky smile soon stretched his lips. He shifted under his sheets and tapped the spot close to him.

"Come here. We could talk and cuddle until you feel sleepy again."

"You don't mind?"

"Cuddling you? Never."

Jongin giggled and obeyed. He put his glasses on the nightstand, slipped under Taemin's bedsheets, and laid on his side to face him, leaving it to his boyfriend to engage in the snuggles, which Taemin dived into shamelessly.

Taemin stroked Jongin's hair away from his face and asked him if he had spent a nice evening with everyone. The casual talk soon shifted into whispered secrets and stories between a few yawns. Taemin was still caressing Jongin's head, looking at him with all the tenderness in the world as he narrated how he had met Yukhei when Jongin finally closed his eyes, unable to resist sleep any longer. He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep in Taemin's loving arms.

Taemin watched over him for a moment. He let himself fully realize that the adorable man sleeping soundly right before his nose loved him back and his heart soared.

Slowly, as not to wake his precious lover, Taemin shifted to press a long, soft kiss on his forehead before he turned off the light and laid back against him to sleep.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi my lovelies,  
> They K I S S E D!!! ♥ I really hope you liked this chapter & the way Taemnini finally got together ;U; ♥  
> Let me know what you thought of it ~
> 
> See you on Thursday & please, take care of yourself. Always.
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonyki) // [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/Moonyki)


	5. Chapter 5

.

Being loved by Lee Taemin constantly felt to Jongin as that fateful July 19th when his boyfriend had woken him up with warm kisses, soft strokes of his hair, and tender whispers. Taemin had murmured an "I love you" against Jongin's nose before Jongin could even completely realize that he had left the land of dreams and far before he could remember what had happened the previous night. He had blushed, squirmed between the bedsheets, and snuggled closer to his lover shyly. And Taemin had laughed quietly and reiterated his confession without letting Jongin any second to get anxious.

Taemin was caring, thoughtful, and sometimes Jongin wondered if the man couldn't somehow read his mind with the way he always seemed to smile at him, to take his hand and lace their fingers, to ask for a kiss right when Jongin needed him to. So much that Jongin sometimes quietly wondered if Taemin wasn't magical.

It was amusing, to say the least, that Jongin would see magic in the only things that Taemin did without using any.

Taemin told him that he loved him every time they met if only to make sure that Jongin wouldn't start doubting it. And maybe a little to help him get used to it. He wasn't shy in expressing his affection and it greatly helped Jongin do so as well.

When Jongin sometimes looked at him deeply with a slight frown, and when his eyes got a little teary, when he got overwhelmed by the realization that what they had was real, Taemin would come closer and hug Jongin's arm, and he would let him softly babble about how much he adored him. There were still times when Jongin couldn't believe his luck. And then there were times when he would laugh in Taemin's arms, happily chirping that he didn't think he had any more wish to ask of the stars and that it felt great.

It took everyone in the house a couple of weeks to notice the change; not because they didn't care enough but because, as Yukhei put it:

"You've been acting like a couple since the first time I saw you together."

Ten had been the happiest about it. He kept congratulating them every time he saw them for a whole week and sometimes only stared at them in the distance with a little emotional pout. The only person that could rival Ten's level of delight at the sight of Taemin and Jongin forming a couple, was Chittaphon. The cat often trotted to them when they were cuddling amongst flowers only to sit between them, purring and meowing, acting like a happy child playing between his parents.

Taemin was careful to take it slow. He knew all too well that Jongin had never been in a relationship and that, if he sometimes seemed eager and enthusiastic, he also often got nervous. It appeared in the way Jongin frowned, unsure and worried, when he was the one initiating anything, but also in the way he gasped and shivered when Taemin hold him close. Taemin truly realized how sensitive Jongin was to loving, intimate touches when they made out properly for the first time in their secret garden. It had been a delicious discovery to see Jongin blush even quicker than ever before, his breath getting caught up in his throat, his skin covering in goosebumps when Taemin kissed and sucked his neck, one hand slipped under Jongin's shirt. Jongin had been so flustered that he had been unable to move much and Taemin had promised himself to be patient and extremely careful with him.

They had all the time in the world anyway. And Jongin often stayed the night on weekends, always sleeping in Taemin's bed, allowing them to take their time to push their limits gradually and discover each other's body slowly.

~

On one particular day in late August, Jongin took Taemin completely by surprise by telling him that he had prepared them a very special afternoon together. He was decided to live out the little fantasy he had thought of weeks ahead and he had organized a whole schedule for their first official date out of the forest -as he called it- that had Taemin laughing behind one hand in affection. But he followed him gladly, very excited to see what Jongin had planned for them.

They made their way to the bus stop at the edge of the woods and Jongin took Taemin's hand in his as he explained that they would go to the town nearby and, if Taemin would agree to it, they could stroll in the streets, maybe eat some ice cream and drink something nice, and then... Then Jongin would take him to his favorite shop.

"That sounds lovely," Taemin grinned. "Let's go then!"

He happily turned to walk away and pulled Jongin with him, but his boyfriend stopped him with a laugh.

"It's too far away, Taeminnie. We'll take the bus."

Taemin looked at him with wide eyes.

"The bus?" he repeated with a fascinated expression.

"Is it a problem?"

"No! I've always wanted to take the bus! What a grand idea!"

Then it was Jongin's turn to stare at him with surprise.

"You've never taken the bus? While living here in the middle of nowhere without a car?"

"No," Taemin chirped. "Never. It's exciting!"

Jongin wasn't sure if he should be amazed or concerned but before he could make up his mind, the bus arrived and Taemin joyfully brought him to the doors. Jongin hastened to climb first because he was determined to treat Taemin like a prince the whole day and it would start by paying for his bus ticket, which Taemin opposed no resistance to, busy that he was being enchanted at the sight of the seats, the driver, and everything around them.

Jongin smirked at him as he gave him his ticket and told him to validate it in the machine. Taemin tilted his head and frowned slightly.

"How should I do that?"

"Put it here."

Taemin obeyed and his grin came back with the startling sound of the machine chopping a corner of his ticket.

"Woah."

Jongin was still laughing when he lead him through the bus and pushed him on a seat against the window.

"You look like an alien discovering planet Earth," Jongin giggled but then he squinted at his boyfriend. "Are you an alien?"

Taemin swatted his shoulder with a snort.

"I'm human, you silly."

"That's probably what an alien would say," Jongin mused.

"Would you love me less if I was an alien?"

Jongin rolled his eyes and sighed quite dramatically.

"I couldn't even if I tried to."

Taemin grinned and snuggled to him happily.

"Will it be okay to hold your hand when we arrive? You know, I don't mind people knowing... but if it makes you uncomfortable-..."

Jongin's cheeks reddened slightly as he dived to steal a quick kiss from his lover.

"Please, hold my hand."

The look on Taemin's face was full of affection and tenderness.

They held hands as they got out of the bus and strolled, as promised, around the busy shopping streets. Jongin didn't even pay attention to the few looks they got because he was lost looking at Taemin's smile.

There was a lovely little coffee shop that Jongin had often walked by on his way to the bookshop and that he had always daydreamed of going into, for it looked so pretty and romantic from the outside. He had, of course, never gotten the courage to go there alone, and bringing Taemin to it was the most perfect opportunity for him to set a foot inside.

They stopped by a flower shop first. Jongin offered that they visit it before Taemin could even voice his wish when he saw him turn his head, eyes shining as he saw the window display. They didn't buy anything, despite Jongin insistence in asking Taemin if anything would make him happy, but Taemin only relished in the feeling of being surrounded by so many plants. He gave Jongin the names of each of them and waited with a little smirk for Jongin to control his knowledge by reading the tags.

When Taemin wrapped his arms around Jongin's waist in the middle of the ficus rows, whispered a gentle thank you, and kissed him, Jongin thought that it was the best first official date out of the forest he could have dreamed of. And yet, he wasn't that surprised about it. Everything always turned out to be perfect as long as Taemin was with him.

They ordered ice creams and cold drinks at the coffee shop. Taemin batted his eyelashes like a doe when he asked Jongin if he could taste his mango milkshake – as if Jongin could say no to him. But Jongin declined the offer to try out Taemin's iced Americano in return, so Taemin forced him to eat more of his banana ice cream as compensation.

When they finally made it to the bookshop, Jongin was already on cloud nine. They stumbled inside giggling about secrets they were the only ones to know about and Taemin immediately brought a finger to his mouth, still laughing as he told Jongin to be quiet.

The Treasure Island was deserted except for the small man standing behind the counter a little further away who perked up when they entered and smiled at the sight of Jongin.

"Hi there. It's been a while..."

"Hi," Jongin stammered. "Yes, it has. Sorry."

Junmyeon frowned slightly without losing his smile.

"Nothing to be sorry for."

He greeted Taemin and asked them to come to him if they needed any help before he went back to scribbling in a notebook on his counter.

Taemin and Jongin walked along lazily through the bookshelves, exchanging opinions on a few titles they saw, that they had read or wanted to, or simply on covers that looked pretty to them. Jongin quietly told Taemin about what that bookshop meant to him, how he had first befriended Junmyeon's grandmother, how she had helped him discover so many amazing stories, how she still held a very dear place in his heart, despite not having seen her in years. He told him about the day he met Chi and showed him the exact spot where they both sat while he read, and lastly, he mentioned how he had always secretly wished to be brave enough to talk more to Junmyeon and maybe even befriend him.

Taemin listened to him with interest. It was quite lovely, in his opinion, to hear Jongin relate a story, especially if it involved him and would give Taemin more precious information about his boyfriend's past.

If Jongin was often stuttering and making long pauses when he tried to express his feelings and thoughts, stumbling over his words and going back on his words, it was completely different when he was narrating an event, a dream he had, or a small fable. He was then more confident, his voice was more controlled, his words came with a lot more fluidity. Taemin thought that when he was telling a story, Jongin sounded just like his favorite character, Anne Shirley. Speaking with big, flowery words, making the most common thing sound fascinating. It was one of the most charming things about Jongin, truly, on that endless list of everything that Taemin adored about him.

And when that little side of him showed up - to Taemin's immense joy- through retelling a story, he could get so carried away that even reverting to talking about himself didn't bring back his stutter. It had lead Taemin to think that the Jongin he saw then, so confident, so at ease with words, so captivating, was the real Jongin, hiding under all the social anxiety that Taemin wished to help him out of, slowly but surely.

"How wonderful it would be to have a friend such as him. He loves books so dearly; I can see it with the way he holds them, how he looks at them. Of course, I am already so profoundly touched to be able to talk about books with you. Please do not misunderstand me. You are always my favorite person to talk to, after all. No one could ever compare to you. I even immensely enjoy discussing with Baekhyun and Mark. But... Oh, Taemin, could you imagine? Could you? If I ever become brave enough to engage in a discussion with him... I am positive he must have such interesting opinions on... everything! Maybe I romanticize him a little too much... I have dreamed of being his friend for so long. Oh, you understand what I mean, do you? Even when I say such things as 'I romanticize him'... It has nothing to do with romantic feelings."

Taemin smiled fondly, with such a tender gaze that Jongin blushed.

"I understand, Jongin. I really do. Don't you think you could try, though? You've made such tremendous progress in approaching others, maybe you could talk to him."

"I couldn't," Jongin sighed as he lowered his head. "I still can't. One day, maybe... Not now."

Taemin didn't insist. Instead, he brought one hand to Jongin's cheek and leaned to kiss his lips softly.

"Okay, Honey," he simply said.

They picked a couple of books to buy and Taemin asked Jongin if, on their second date, they could come back and read together in the bookshop and drink something there, instead of in a coffee shop. He wanted to experience having a tea in Jongin's favorite bookshop, and Jongin was very quick to agree, overjoyed to hear that they would have a second date, which had Taemin laughing.

~

Jongin lived in such a small village that the bus company was a very modest one, with only a couple of lines, and buses coming generally once an hour. Thus, it could be quite tricky for him to get to Taemin some days and he still had too many evenings a week where he came back home after work, tired and pouty, to eat alone in front of his television.

He had since long given up on the hope to get texts from Taemin; being in a relationship hadn't changed his inability to remember he possessed a phone, no matter how many times he had already promised Jongin that he would be more careful. It was a little sad at times, but Jongin never particularly blamed him. It was a tiny little flaw that he could live with, especially since he still got to see Taemin very often.

Jongin was curled up on his sofa eating a pizza he had bought on his way home, watching the sappy drama that he followed that summer when he heard a knock on his door.

It had to be said that Jongin had guests over extremely rarely. And they were never unexpected. Nobody ever knocked on his door, not even a neighbor needing some seaweed, not even the postman to deliver a package since he retrieved all his parcels when he went to work. His family, knowing far too well his anxiety over spontaneous plans, was careful never to come unannounced, and as it has been stated over and over again through our story, Jongin had no friend beside his boyfriend. And Taemin's little gang.

Thus, when he heard the knocks on the door, Jongin first assumed that it came from the drama playing before his eyes. When he realized that the hammering was very weirdly placed in the scenes, he muted the television and turned around, looking at his window, his ceiling, his walls, in search of the explanation of such a weird little noise. When he heard knocking for the third time, he jolted out of his couch and walked to his kitchen, then his bathroom, searching if an animal had come in somehow. As he crossed his apartment back and forth, growing more and more confused, Jongin passed by his front door and finally realized the knocking came from _there_. His bewilderment only grew deeper.

In a state of profound stupor, Jongin opened the door. He didn't even take time to think it through and get himself nervous.

There, under Jongin's little nose, smiling at him while checking Jongin's relaxed outfit that consisted of some very cute cream pajamas strewn with tiny bears, was Taemin.

"Oh, you're here! I was getting worried... I thought 'wouldn't it be absolutely ridiculous if I came all the way here and he took the bus to come to the cottage at the same time?'"

Jongin stared at him with quite a goofy expression; his eyes were wide open as he stood there gaping.

"Taeminnie? What are you doing here?"

A sheepish smile stretched on Taemin's lips.

"I missed you," he simply said shyly. "Can I come in?"

Jongin nodded awkwardly and finally took a step to the side, opening his door wider so Taemin could enter.

"Of course! I'm sorry... I'm so surprised. How did you-... How did you come here?"

"I took the bus," Taemin said proudly as he took off his shoes in the hallway. "All by myself!"

Jongin couldn't help but giggle when he saw Taemin's satisfied smirk.

"Well done," he said gently, "but I meant... how did you find my house?"

Taemin blushed slightly under Jongin's eyes. He squirmed on his feet and came closer to Jongin to grab his hand.

"I asked Mark. Are you upset?"

Jongin opened his mouth to ask how Mark could have known his address but he remembered just in time that he had given it to him when the man had talked about going back on trips with Yukhei and said he would send Jongin some nice postcards of all the places they would visit. That was how.

"I'm not upset," Jongin said sweetly instead. "Not at all."

Taemin seemed relieved. He wrapped his arms around Jongin's waist and lifted his head to kiss him softly.

"I wanted to meet you outside of the cottage," Taemin sighed, and his eyes looked distant for a second. "Also, I've been wondering about your home for a while, if I'm honest. Would you show me around?"

"Sure. But you know, it's not much."

It was a shy little lie that Jongin was still convinced was true.

Jongin's home was a very typical apartment with white walls, in an excellent state but that had been rented to him simple and soulless, looking identical to all the other small places in the building. There was nothing noteworthy in the architecture at all; it was far away from the old, quaint, and traditional houses Jongin dreamed about that looked a lot more like Taemin's cottage. Taemin's cottage was the loveliest place on Earth according to Jongin; it was the perfect manifestation of his most picturesque dreams of housing.

And yet, Jongin had turned his dull, common, average little flat into a comfortable, snug, enchanting home with the help of old pieces of furniture found in flea-market, matching pillows and thrown blankets in the quite large living-room, and all sorts of little decorations -often bear themed. One of his most prized possession was an old rocking chair that he had put against the window, next to his bookshelf to form the most perfect reading spot.

His bedroom was the smallest room in the house and Taemin couldn't help but grin when he noticed the dried myosotis framed and put on Jongin's nightstand. He couldn't help touching and grabbing the few objects he saw through their tour: candles, books, teddy bears piled up next to Jongin's bed, a cute mug forgotten on the coffee table.

"It's adorable," Taemin commented when they were back in the living room.

"You think so?"

Taemin hummed.

"You made it very homey and welcoming."

Jongin seemed to appreciate the compliment.

He asked Taemin if he had eaten already and they ended up sitting side by side on the couch, sharing what was left of his pizza -he had barely gone through two slices before Taemin had arrived- while talking about their days.

It was quite something to have Taemin there. It felt to Jongin as if his two worlds were colliding. And somehow, even more than their little date to the neighbor town, it made Taemin look more real; in a way that Jongin couldn't have properly explained. Their relationship didn't only belong to an enchanting forest.

But Taemin looked a little distracted. He kept glancing around them with sad eyes and grabbed Jongin's hand to kiss it softly despite the slight grease from their meal on his lips. Jongin didn't mind anyway. What he minded was the sorrow he could see on his boyfriend's face, feel in the way he moved, hear in his voice even when he spoke about happy things that had happened back in his cottage. But Jongin didn't know how to confront it all when Taemin seemed so set on pretending it wasn't there, even if he managed quite poorly.

In the end, Taemin confessed before Jongin could find how to voice his worry. He laced their fingers and stared at Jongin's chest as he spoke quietly.

"Jonginnie, I have something to tell you."

Jongin bit his lip and frowned.

He thought that those weren't words one usually liked to hear and he wondered what was coming for him. He tried his hardest not to overthink, and to keep his catastrophic storylines at bay. There was no need to get worked up and so, he played in his mind over and over a quote from a character dear to his heart, Newt Scamander. It went like this: 'My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice'.

It worked mostly because something was playing in his mind that was far greater than the anxiety of learning something heartbreaking and that was the pain he felt from seeing Taemin sad. Jongin overcame his nervousness for the sole purpose of being able to comfort his lover.

He brought his free hand to Taemin's cheek and lifted his face gently, then kissed his forehead.

"What makes you so sad? Please tell me so I can help you."

Taemin gave him a very small smile, but it was genuine, and it helped Jongin relax. Taemin opened his mouth but remained quiet for a while and when he spoke, Jongin was convinced that it wasn't what he first intended to say. 

"Will you dance with me?"

Jongin let out a surprised little noise that brought Taemin's smile back.

"Dance? Now?"

"Please. I'd like to dance with you. Pretty please."

Jongin pouted, clearly embarrassed.

"You don't have to ask like this, you know I'll agree to anything for you."

Taemin giggled triumphantly and immediately got up, pulling Jongin with him. Jongin grabbed his phone from the table and unlocked it. 

"But what do you want to dance to?" he whined.

"Your favorite song!"

Jongin tilted his head slightly with a scrunched nose.

"I don't think I have one... do I? There are so many songs I love."

Taemin slipped his arms around Jongin's waist again and looked up to him with a dreamy face.

"There's one that I often hear you hum, actually. But I don't know it."

"I hum?"

"Sometimes," Taemin grinned. "Don't be flustered, it's the cutest thing."

Jongin still blushed in embarrassment and looked through his phone awkwardly.

"I don't know which song I hum though."

Taemin closed his eyes and softly sang the melody he remembered until he heard Jongin gasp.

"Oh, 'Never let me go'."

"Is that the title?"

"It is."

"Can we dance to it?"

Jongin shrugged but he finally smiled at Taemin.

"I see no one around to stop us from trying."

Taemin beamed.

Jongin played the song and threw his phone on the couch before he completely turned to Taemin. As the first distant notes played, Taemin took one of his hands, laced their fingers again, and wrapped his other arm around Jongin's lower back.

"Oh, like this?" Jongin asked in a gasp as a woman began to sing.

Taemin only nodded and when Jongin shyly put his hand on his shoulder, he made them sway gently.

_And it's peaceful in the deep, Cathedral where you cannot breathe, No need to pray, no need to speak, Now I am under all_

Taemin lead Jongin into the softest moves. They were barely shifting on their feet, too lost in each other's gaze and the haunting, overwhelming melody of the song.

It was a song dear to Jongin's heart since he was a teenager. There was something deeply touching about the lyrics, something powerful and almost scary in the tune.

_(Never let me go, never let me go, Never let me go, never let me go)_

_And the arms of the ocean are carrying me, And all this devotion was rushing out of me, And the crashes are heaven, for a sinner like me, But the arms of the ocean delivered me_

When the chorus came, Taemin let go of Jongin's waist to make him twirl and the smile he saw on his face was worth all the treasures in the world. They waltzed together and it seemed that Jongin's living room was fading behind them.

They got carried away by the intensity of the song and Taemin felt like he could have teared up just from the way Jongin was looking at him. As if all those cried out 'never let me go' were for him.

They shifted back closer as the song slowly quieted down and Taemin let go of Jongin only to cup his face and pull him into a passionate kiss that had Jongin's toes curling against the floor. They didn't pay attention to the song that followed; Taemin was still kissing Jongin hungrily and nibbling on his bottom lip. Jongin's heart was pounding and when Taemin calmed down, Jongin remembered the sadness he had seen on his face just a few minutes earlier.

Taemin held Jongin's face close, their foreheads touching, their slightly open mouths breathing each other in.

"It's a beautiful song," Taemin whispered.

Jongin rubbed his nose against Taemin's.

"It really is. I love it immensely... so much that, somehow... It feels like it became a part of me."

Taemin looked at him with such depth that Jongin felt like he was reading his soul. Then he brought Jongin's hand to his lips and kissed it.

"Thank you for dancing with me."

Jongin gave him a mischievous smile and brought his hand back on Taemin's shoulder to sway with him to the new song playing in his apartment. Taemin giggled and indulged him immediately in a silly little dance while listening to the lyrics. His eyes shone and any remaining trace of sorrow had disappeared from them.

"This is cute," he laughed. "What's the title?"

"'Honey, there's the door'," Jongin simpered before he started singing the chorus. "You better tell me that you love me, Tell me that you need me, Treat me like I'm everything you want and more, Tell me that I'm funny and sexy, If you don't, then, honey, there's the door..."

Taemin kept laughing in his arms and made him twirl again before pulling him close, Jongin's back held against his chest, and he pressed a soft kiss on his boyfriend's cheek.

"Don't I tell you all of that all the time?"

"You do," Jongin sighed contentedly.

"You have a very sweet voice too. Very sweet."

They swang softly, with Taemin whispering lovely compliments in Jongin's ears, until the song ended and Jongin was as red as a ripe strawberry.

Jongin's heart was soaring with how romantic his evening was turning to. Dancing in Taemin's arms was a beautiful dream he had never really thought of but it was so exhilarating. And with Taemin leaving feathery kisses on his neck, he closed his eyes, relishing in Taemin's love for him.

When a third song started, Taemin slowly turned him around to face him once more.

"Oh," Taemin smiled, "Cinderella."

Jongin blushed as he looked at his phone on the sofa.

"Yes, it was one of my favorite movies as a kid... Like... Pinocchio to you."

"How fitting," Taemin mused.

"You think?"

Taemin nodded as if it was undeniable.

"This song is about you."

Jongin rubbed his nose shyly, his eyes lowered to the ground.

"It makes me happy because-... Mhmm... Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course. I won't tell anyone."

Jongin blushed an even deeper red as he squirmed on his feet.

"When I was a kid... I wanted it to be the first song at my wedding," Jongin admitted with a nervous laugh. "I thought about my wedding a lot for a child whose only loves were books and no humans."

Taemin tilted his head and glanced at him with eyes so fond that Jongin blinked a couple of times, unable to hold his gaze.

"You are so immensely precious, Jonginnie. I adore you," Taemin sighed.

And Jongin hoped that he would ask him to replay the song, that they could dance to only one more song together. But when Taemin spoke again, Jongin's heart clenched.

"I'm stalling for time, Honey... I still need to talk to you."

Jongin remained quiet. He went back to his phone and stopped the song. The silence that fell in the little house was slightly heavy and Jongin curled up in the corner of his couch. He felt more than he saw Taemin joining him and sitting against him, searching for his hand.

"I'm listening," Jongin whispered.

Taemin took a long inhale and Jongin braced himself.

"So hum-... There's something I should have told you earlier. I just... didn't know how to. And I had to wait until everyone agreed. You see, it's about me but not only... It's about my home and my friends too. I had to protect them. And then-... Then maybe I was a little scared that you-... you would leave me."

Taemin marked a slight pause and Jongin looked at him warily, a frown darkening his face.

"You're scaring me," Jongin murmured. "Please, just tell me what's wrong."

Taemin bit his lip. He brought his elbow on the backrest of the couch and shifted closer to Jongin.

"It's difficult to explain. But we're here, in your home so... I need you to focus. Could you please try to concentrate on my cottage. And my friends. And me. When you came to me... there were times when- how to say? There were times when things were a little odd, weren't they? You've seen weird things or maybe heard us say something silly... I do a lot of very curious things, don't I? I need you to focus on all the times you felt confused or a little lost. All the times you shook those thoughts away..."

"What are you talking about?" Jongin pouted, wide, worried eyes staring at Taemin.

"Please, Jonginnie... The faint headaches and the disorientation, can you remember when and why they happened? Can you focus on all the startling things you saw me doing?"

Jongin opened his mouth but remained speechless. He saw the sadness mixing with desperation in Taemin's eyes and he wished he understood what he was being asked but his mind felt misty. He remembered slight headaches, he remembered vaguely some moments he felt confused about some discussions he heard Taemin have with his friends... He had thought them only to be moments where he had lost himself in his thoughts and forgotten to pay attention to the conversation.

"I don't understand what I need to do," Jongin said softly.

The guilt in his voice pierced Taemin's heart. The last thing he wanted was to make Jongin think the problem came from him. Taemin immediately squeezed his hand.

"It's okay. It's okay, Jonginnie. It's not your fault. But-... Can you remember how many stairs we go up to get to my bedroom?"

"Yes, two..."

"So my bedroom is on the third floor, right?"

Jongin was looking at him suspiciously again.

"Well, yes."

"And yet... Jongin, when you look at the house from the garden, it has only two floors, doesn't it?"

Jongin gaped stupidly. He moved his lips to say something but stopped himself to stare at the floor. He had looked up to Taemin's cottage from the garden so many times he could trust his memory of the little two-story house, so adorable up its hill of marigolds. But how could something so impossibly ridiculous be conceivable?

"If you think about it," Taemin insisted gently, "isn't the house far too big on the inside, compared to its outside?"

Jongin blinked. His breaths were laborious with how hard his mind was trying to process what Taemin was saying through the strange mist clogging his thoughts.

"What are you saying?" Jongin whined in an undertone.

"I'm a witch, Jongin," Taemin confessed too clearly for Jongin to think he had dreamed it. "And my house is magical."

Jongin straightened up to stare at him, eyes as wide as an owl's, face pale.

"You're a what now?"

"I'm a green witch," Taemin repeated through the tightness of his throat. "I practice witchcraft. And my cottage is a sacred place. And-... And you've been under a confusion spell since Chittaphon brought you to me."

Taemin marked a pause to let his words reach Jongin fully. For a moment, Jongin stared at him silently, completely bewildered. But when he saw tears filling up his boyfriend's eyes, Taemin felt his heart sink through his body.

"What did you do to me?"

Jongin's voice was tiny. It broke into a sob.

Taemin wanted to reach out to him and hold him close but he was too scared that Jongin would jolt away from him.

"It's not only to you," Taemin tried to explain in a stutter. "It's-... It's a spell put all over my property. Just so that humans who would come unexpectantly wouldn't question anything they might see..."

"Humans?" Jongin repeated in a sniff.

"I'm sorry, Honey. It was never against you. I needed to protect my secret and my friends so people wouldn't bother us. Unfortunately, you're also sensitive to it."

Jongin wiped away the couple of tears that had escaped his eyes and he rubbed his nose, pitifully lowering his head to stare at his lap.

"So... you took away my memories?"

"No," Taemin immediately exclaimed. "No, that's not it. I would never do anything like that... I promise you! Jongin, you have to believe me... I wouldn't mess with your mind like that. Taking memories away is so dangerous."

"What did you do exactly, then?"

Taemin very softly brought his hand to Jongin's chin, slow enough for Jongin to back away if he wanted to. He caressed his jaw and lifted his face gently.

"It's a confusion spell. It is only meant to prevent you from questioning anything out of the ordinary. When you witnessed magic, the spell prevented you from wondering what it was and from thinking about it too much. It made you accept magic as if it was completely normal. All your memories are still there, that's why I just want you to think back on them critically."

Jongin's expression softened and with it, Taemin's heart.

"Honey, I swear to you that I am a good witch. I would never do anything to hurt someone, even less so you. I didn't take anything from you and I didn't implant anything false in you. But I needed to protect myself as well as my friends and I did that by concealing the truth... And then, I had to make sure they were all comfortable with letting you know about who we are. I had to wait until they all trusted you as much as I do. I am so sorry, Jongin. I really am."

Jongin took Taemin's hand in his and shifted it to his lips to kiss his palm, then he closed his eyes.

"What we have... It's real, right? You promise?" his voice was muffled by Taemin's hand.

"It is. I'm in love with you, and magic has nothing to do with it."

Jongin was silent for a while. Taemin let him process his thoughts and feelings, and hoped that whatever decision Jongin would come up to, it wouldn't break him.

Ultimately, Jongin sighed. His eyes were twitching and his gaze was unfocused.

"It's so much to take in and my emotions are so conflicted..."

"Is there anything I can do? Questions I can answer?" Taemin offered softly.

"Will you let me speak it all out? Even if it doesn't make sense? My thoughts, I mean..." Jongin babbled. "It's so crowded in my head right now."

Taemin nodded eagerly, apparently reassured by Jongin's reaction.

"Of course, please do..."

Jongin breathed in deeply and looked up to the ceiling. Then he exhaled loudly to calm himself down.

"I-... I can't understand what I'm thinking. I feel silly. I feel so, so dumb..."

"Jonginnie..." Taemin whispered.

"No please, let me-..." Jongin whined, and Taemin closed his mouth. "I feel ridiculous because I'm so swamped by all of this and all I can think about is 'will he stay with me?' and then... I think it's not the priority and maybe I should get a lot more... I don't know. Surprised? Overjoyed? To be thinking that magic exists. I don't know if I should-... if I should be upset with you longer and if it's okay to trust you so easily. But, Taemin... I'm not upset and it's concerning. Isn't it? Does it make me silly? Does it make me an idiot? Too naive? Too gullible? Am I stupid? I just want to be with you. And I don't know if I'm a moron for understanding your reasons. But I just love you so much. I love you so much and I think you wouldn't hurt me, would you? Oh, what am I supposed to do?"

Taemin straightened up a little and when Jongin looked at him with eyes lost in turmoil, he kissed him. Jongin kissed him back fervently.

Taemin shifted closer while still invading Jongin's mouth, and he sat on his boyfriend's lap. Jongin wrapped his arms around him and felt Taemin's hands on his neck. He thought that if he was being too naive, he didn't mind because credulity felt so good.

When Jongin's lips were puffed and red, they parted for air, and Taemin left a myriad of kisses all over Jongin's face.

"You're a good witch, aren't you?" Jongin murmured.

Taemin pressed their foreheads together.

"Yes, I am. All I do is nurture nature. I grow plants and heal people through them. All my rituals, all my spells are for magical healing and growth, for happiness and peace."

"Really?"

"You have all your memories, Honey. You've seen me at work."

Jongin pouted slightly and Taemin moved on his lap to reach the pocket of his jeans. He took a thin, silver chain bracelet out of it and laid it in his palm before showing it to Jongin.

"If you think you can still trust me..." Taemin breathed out, "I enchanted this so it would protect you from the confusion spell when you'll come back to the cottage."

Jongin looked at it quietly and tentatively brushed it with one finger.

"You don't have to put it on right now," Taemin reassured him. "I don't want to pressure you. You can take all the time you want to think all of this through, you know. And I can go if you want me to."

Jongin frowned and abruptly brought his arms back around Taemin's waist.

"No, stay. Please."

Taemin leaned in to brush their noses together and he smiled softly.

"Alright."

He let the bracelet on the coffee table behind them and looked back at Jongin.

"Everyone else," Jongin mused a little suspiciously, "are they all green witches too? Are they all good? Even Baekhyun? Are you a coven or something?"

Taemin chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I'm the only witch. They're all-... Well, they are different magical beings."

"I beg your pardon?" Jongin squeaked in a high-pitched tone.

Taemin scrunched his nose.

"Baekhyun-... Hmm. He's, you know... He's neither good nor bad."

"What is he?" Jongin in a toneless voice.

"A Kumiho."

Jongin gasped and Taemin winced, feeling sorry for his overwhelmed lover.

"He's-... Did I drink tea with a nine-tailed fox? In your cottage?" Jongin exclaimed. "Kumihos exist? And I discussed literature with one?"

"Yes?" Taemin simpered sheepishly.

"Oh, dear... But they're-... Aren't they evil and bloodthirsty?"

Taemin licked his lips and coughed softly.

"They are sometimes. Or like, most of the time. But Baekhyun is-... He's a little morally gray, I'll give you that. But Taeyong keeps him in check and keeps trying to teach him good from bad. I would have never let you around him if I didn't trust him, I swear!"

Jongin sighed and sat back against the backrest, his hands slipping from Taemin's lower back to his thighs.

"Taeyong is one too? A Kumiho?"

"No, he's a Muse."

Jongin stared at him almost in desperation and Taemin giggled before he pecked his lips.

"Muses are immortal creatures who roam the Earth sparking inspiration into lovely humans such as you. But Taeyong crossed path with Baekhyun and he fell so ridiculously in love with him that he threw away everything to follow him around. It's a miracle for anyone other than Baekhyun to get just a little twinkle of inspiration from him nowadays."

Jongin looked at him very seriously, nodding in understanding to everything that Taemin said. And he did understand what was being said to him. He even assimilated information. But he was struggling to process the fact that it was all real.

Then, from the dark depths of his memories, Jongin thought back on something from the day he met Yukhei and Mark.

"What is Mark?" he asked apprehensively. "I remember hearing Yukhei say that he was hunted..."

When he looked up to his boyfriend, Jongin realized that Taemin looked more serene than when he had first come into his apartment. He was still a little tense in Jongin's arms as if he waited for Jongin to change his mind and throw him out, but he looked more at peace with himself.

The steady look in his eyes, more than anything, calmed Jongin down and settled him. It was the tacit, comforting proof that Jongin didn't even know he needed. Taemin was appeased after telling him the truth. And Jongin didn't feel guilty anymore for believing him.

"He's a Firebird," Taemin explained gently. "A really old, magical, and prophetic creature. His kind has been hunted down for centuries because they have amazing magical properties. There are very few of them now... So Yukhei did all he could to protect him."

"That's amazing," Jongin whispered. "A Firebird... I've never heard of those..."

"He can shift into a bird with a burning plumage, to put it simply."

Jongin hummed in amazement.

"Can I kiss you again?" Taemin asked shyly.

Jongin looked startled for a second, then he smiled, and nodded.

Taemin kissed him with a fragile tenderness. With each brush of their lips, warmth settled deeper into their stomachs, reassuring them both that they were loved, treasured, and most of all, accepted.

"May I keep asking questions?" Jongin wondered.

"Of course! Sorry, I just... really craved a kiss."

Jongin giggled.

"It's okay, it's okay. I just wondered about Yukhei..."

And it was with an adorable little smile and a disarming casualness that Taemin dropped the bomb.

"He's a demi-god."

Jongin's jaw fell open in absolute horror and Taemin scratched his neck awkwardly.

"He's uh-..." Taemin babbled, unsure if he should give further explanations or spare Jongin's mind for the night. "He's a descendant of Apollo."

"Apollo? The Greek God Apollo?" Jongin inquired in a piercing voice.

Taemin nodded sharply and Jongin exhaled all the air in his lungs before he threw his head against the backrest, staring at his ceiling in utter disbelief.

It had been a lot to take in since Taemin had started that conversation but somehow, the fact that he had been jealous and concerned about a descendant of Apollo possibly dating the man he was in love with was something particularly hard to swallow.

"Jongin?"

He looked pensive. Lost somewhere far away to Taemin.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

Jongin glanced at him and he could read on his lover's face his implicit question. _Are we okay?_

"Yes," Jongin mused. "I'll need some time to handle all of this... But I'm okay."

"Of course," Taemin nodded. "I understand."

Jongin lazily pulled Taemin against him to hold him and they remained silent for a few minutes. Then, quietly, Jongin gasped and asked about a few things he had seen Taemin doing, now and then, searching for confirmation that he had witnessed some real magic. Taemin smiled cutely as he nodded and confirmed Jongin's suspicions.

"Would you like to see a little magic trick?" Taemin offered mischievously.

Jongin's whole face brightened in wonder and Taemin felt his heart soar. If Jongin had first been hurt and worried about learning such a troubling secret, he at least wasn't scared and that was so comforting to his boyfriend.

"Yes," Jongin chirped eagerly.

Taemin straightened up to look around the room and he smiled when his eyes settled on the little candle on the coffee table. He shifted on Jongin's lap so his lover could see it as well, and clicked his fingers. Under Jongin's amazed eyes, the candle caught light.

"That's wonderful," Jongin gasped.

Taemin laughed. As he had expected, Jongin marveled at the smallest, most innocent little trick, and Taemin's heart swelled with happiness.

As the sun slowly set, they cuddled on Jongin's couch, still too shaken and weakened by the emotions all those revelations had awakened in them to part. When Taemin admitted that his big, heavy secret was the reason why he had always been so secretive about himself, Jongin timidly asked if he would be more comfortable to speak then. Taemin spent hours telling Jongin about his family, where he had grown, his brother, how close he was to his cousin Jinki, how he had been taught magic by his uncle mostly. Jongin was filled with enthusiasm listening to him and discovering all those hidden parts of Taemin he had never suspected.

When Taemin heartily started blabbering about introducing him to his family, Jongin teared up and Taemin quieted down to pepper kisses all over his face until he calmed down.

Taemin lighted up a few more candles around the room as the night settled in, to Jongin's immense delight. They played shadows on Taemin's face that caused Jongin's heart to soar and pound.

"Can you stay the night?" Jongin asked faintly.

"Are you sure?"

Jongin nodded and Taemin agreed with a bright, excited grin. Then, Jongin leaned toward the coffee table, grabbed the little chain bracelet, and gave it to Taemin. He presented his wrist shyly before Taemin could completely drown in anxiety.

"Please, put it on me."

Taemin gasped.

"Honey, you can take more time to think it through-..."

Jongin pouted and shook his wrist under Taemin's nose.

"I know I can but I don't need to. Please."

Taemin's hands were trembling when he put the thin chain around Jongin's wrist and closed the clasp. He carefully held Jongin's hand in his and pressed a soft kiss in his palm.

Jongin got up and pulled him along, promising in a whisper to lend him everything he would need -from a pajama to a toothbrush- and Taemin giggled behind him.

As they disappeared in Jongin's bedroom after washing themselves, Taemin turned back to the living-room and clasped his fingers. Jongin grinned as he saw all the candles go out.

~

They were used to sleeping together by then. Used of each other's nightly habits. Jongin didn't like to sleep with a shirt on, whereas Taemin didn't like pants which caused them to share a pajama more often than not because Taemin thought it was both practical and domestic – and Jongin would be the last one to argue about such a method when it allowed him to peek innocently at his boyfriend's thin thighs. Taemin liked to sleep on the side of the bed touching the wall while Jongin didn't. But both really, really, _really_ liked to cuddle.

Taemin had even discovered at some point that Jongin adored above all to be the little spoon and so he always indulged him in his secret little wish, never letting their height difference nor his small arms stop him from cradling his tall boyfriend against his chest to keep him warm and protected.

Thus, when they slipped into Jongin's bed that night, they quickly and quietly took their assigned places, snuggling under the bedsheets happily. And even if it had already become natural, it was still exciting to Jongin because that night, they were in _his_ house, in _his_ bed.

He squirmed in Taemin's arms, turning around to face him and curled up to him, nestling his face in Taemin's neck to press a few open-mouthed kisses on his skin. Taemin hummed contentedly and let his hands roam across Jongin's back distractedly in feathery caresses. It took Taemin a couple of minutes of hot, searing kisses and nibbles on his neck, along with a shy, tentative hand sneaking under his shirt and sprawling on his ribs, to understand that his boyfriend might have something in the back of his mind. With a low chuckle, he slipped one leg between Jongin's thighs, taking advantage of his flustered gasp to steal his lips and kiss him greedily. Jongin whimpered into their kiss and bucked his hips against Taemin's; he was already half-hard with only a few touches and the thought of getting more, and Taemin found it particularly enticing. Jongin's sensitivity was a gift to him; it drove him crazy with want, had his heart pounding with need. They had messed around in Taemin's bed several times already, and even once in their secret garden, much to Jongin's shy pleasure – despite Taemin assuring him that there was nothing to be ashamed of – but even with his experience very slowly growing, Jongin was still so quick to turn into a mess under Taemin's hands. So quick to surrender and let himself get overwhelmed with pleasure, unable to control himself, barely even trying to. Jongin had been distressed about how quickly he had come when Taemin had first touched him; but Taemin had then spent so much time kissing his eyelids, his temples, his lips, whispering reassuring words that he didn't mind, that it wasn't shameful, that Jongin eventually had stopped being shy about it. He was getting slightly better at keeping himself together under Taemin's loving touches and even when he gave in too quickly in his opinion, Taemin only rejoiced in playing with his even more sensitive body, softly and preciously.

Taemin's hand stroking Jongin's lower back slipped under his pajama bottoms to cup his ass, kneading it softly, and he smiled when he felt Jongin moan in their kiss. He left a myriad of kisses along Jongin's jaw and rubbed his nose against his cheek fondly.

"Is there something you want, Honey?" he simpered.

Jongin breathed out laboriously. He bit his bottom lip and bravely looked up to glance at his boyfriend, only to look down immediately after, too flustered by Taemin's dark eyes staring back at him.

"Actually," Jongin whispered, "I was wondering-... 'hoping', would be more appropriate-... mhmm..."

"Yes?"

Taemin stopped himself from stealing another kiss from him and squeezed his ass instead, tearing another gasp from Jongin's lips.

"Could we-... could we, you know... have _real_ sex?"

Taemin desperately tried to bite back his grin - to no avail - and Jongin blushed profusely.

"I wasn't aware that we had fake sex until now," Taemin giggled.

"I mean-..." Jongin fumbled, "you know... we did this and that but like-..."

Taemin hummed, still playing dumb, and Jongin had the painful feeling that his boyfriend knew exactly what he meant but was just driving him up the wall.

"Can you fuck me?" Jongin asked in a tiny voice, his face turning bright red.

Taemin's eyes shone and Jongin found great comfort in seeing his cheeks redden in turn.

"Is it really what you want? Tonight?" Taemin's voice was gentle and steady despite his obvious excitement.

Taemin's concern about the previous events of their evening was barely masked and Jongin understood him immediately. He nodded quickly.

"I want it so bad," Jongin whined.

Taemin giggled and kissed him. He slipped his hand out of Jongin's pajama to push him against the bed and straddle him, suddenly driven by a hunger for his boyfriend that he didn't want to tame down. Jongin moaned again as he fell against the mattress and felt Taemin nibble his lips, two small hands spreading over his chest to stroke his abs and grab his pecs.

But Taemin suddenly stopped and straightened just enough to look at him. He waited a couple of seconds for Jongin's gaze to narrow on his face, then pouted.

"Do you have lube and condoms?"

"Yeah uh-..." Jongin sighed as he averted his eyes to the ceiling. "I bought stuff... just in case."

Taemin brightened with relief and grinned down at him.

"Where is it?"

Jongin awkwardly straightened up and watched Taemin slip away from him. He turned to his nightstand and mumbled as he opened it.

"Please, don't laugh."

Taemin brought his hands over his lips and watched with curious, mirthful eyes as Jongin laid down a medium bottle of lube - the fact that it was already half empty didn't escape Taemin's eyes and his mind immediately flew to thoughts of Jongin using it, alone in his bedroom - on the bed, then four packs of condoms. Taemin's eyes widened and Jongin stammered.

"I just-... I didn't know which size t-to take, you know... I couldn't remember your uh-... and I kinda panicked. There were so many kinds!"

Taemin tried to stifle his laugh as best as he could to avoid embarrassing Jongin but it was a wasted effort. He breathed deeply and glanced at Jongin who had blushed such a deep red that eggs could have been cooked on his cheeks, then he cleared his throat.

"Those are too small for me," Taemin said as he pushed away one pack, "but those are too big, oh dear."

Jongin whined pitifully and Taemin leaned to peck his nose.

"So I guess," Taemin mused, "that we're left with maximum pleasure or strawberry flavored. I see. An interesting choice."

Jongin snorted. Taemin looked at him while wiggling his eyebrows and Jongin suddenly calmed down.

Taemin was teasing him, never mocking him. He simply played down Jongin's nervosity so easily, effortlessly, with the cutest smile on his lips. Jongin looked at him fondly until Taemin shook the two boxes under his nose while biting his lip.

"Which one do we choose?"

"Please, I don't want to make the decision," Jongin breathed out.

Taemin's grin was back on his face.

"Maximum pleasure, then. It is, after all, our goal for tonight."

With a mischievous laugh, Taemin opened said pack, took a condom that he put aside, then put away the other boxes. Then he moved around to lay Jongin back on his bed.

"Jonginnie?"

"Mhmm?"

"I love you," Taemin chirped as he leaned down to kiss him.

Before they had first started to mess around, Jongin had always thought that sex was something very serious that would require him to be sensual and focused, somehow. It had been both equally appealing and frightening to him. He had been scared that, if it ever did happen to him, he would mess everything up by being too clumsy. But Taemin had made it perfect and a lot less awe-inspiring to Jongin.

The truth was that he was allowed to mess up. Even Taemin did. Jongin had seen Taemin blush and stutter and be flustered the first time he had seen him naked. Taemin had almost blinded Jongin in one eye with his elbow once because he had been too eager to touch him and, to quote the man, because Jongin was so damn beautiful he couldn't get a hold of himself.

Having sex was messy and a little awkward, and sometimes they made weird noises and it had already caused them both to have a fit of giggles that had forced them to stop everything they had been doing.

So that night, when Taemin took off Jongin's pajama bottoms, Jongin wasn't scared. He was excited with the prospect of finally getting what he had wanted for weeks, but he wasn't nervous about doing something embarrassing because he knew that if he did – and there was a great probability that he would – Taemin wouldn't mind and they would laugh it off.

Taemin prepared him slowly, fingering him lazily while he sucked purple marks on his thighs, half because he wanted to make sure that Jongin wouldn't be in pain, and half because he liked taking his time and seeing Jongin gradually lose himself and move his hips down his fingers while breathing out the cutest needy moans Taemin had ever heard.

Taemin pulled his hand away after only two fingers and Jongin whined at the sudden loss, widening his eyes with a desperate expression.

"Why you-?"

"It's too hot," Taemin grumbled as he took his shirt off. "You're too hot, I'm dying."

Then he went back at it, pushing his fingers back in Jongin, who whimpered loudly, and kissed him hungrily. Jongin tried to touch Taemin back, to grab any part of him he could reach without interfering with the divine thrusts of Taemin's fingers in him – there were three now; and it felt amazing.

Taemin wrapped his other hand around the head of Jongin's dick, and Jongin arched against the pillows with a high-pitched call of his boyfriend's name that drove Taemin mad with want.

"Fuck-... Nini, I want to make you come like this," Taemin groaned against his lips.

He softly pressed the tip of his fingers where he knew Jongin's prostate was and watched him whine and tremble under him.

"No," Jongin pouted. "No, no. Please, I want your dick."

Taemin froze and looked at him with wide eyes, a deep blush on his cheeks. Hearing his cute, shy Jongin say 'dick' was doing things to Taemin that he couldn't have put into words. It was hot. Hotter than hot.

Jongin squirmed under him wantonly and brought his hand on Taemin's erection, cupping it through his boxers with a sigh. Taemin bucked into his hand, whimpering against his lips before he slowly pulled away from Jongin to squirm out of his underwear.

Jongin was breathless with anticipation as he watched Taemin kneel between his legs and put on a condom. Then Taemin leaned on him, pecked his cheeks and nose, and asked him which position he'd like better.

"I don't know," Jongin murmured. "I just want to see you."

Taemin grinned fondly against his lips and shifted more comfortably on top of him. He grabbed one of Jongin's thighs to lift it slightly and used his other hand to bring his erection to his boyfriend's ass.

"Are you ready, Honey?"

"Kiss me," Jongin asked softly.

Taemin stole his lips in a slow, leisure kiss, and pushed his hips, rejoicing in Jongin's gasp as he entered him.

Jongin's heart was beating wildly; Taemin felt it against his lips as he kissed along his collarbone, leaving a few faint marks here and there.

Taemin thrust as slowly as he could to let Jongin get used to him, whispering gentle words against his skin, soft praises that had his lover moaning, eyes half-closed, pink lips parted in pleasure.

Jongin felt so good, yet he couldn't tell if it was because of Taemin sheathed so deeply in him, because of his loving kisses, or simply because it was him and Jongin was getting too emotional with what they were doing. It was most likely everything together.

Jongin wrapped his legs around Taemin's thin waist and cupped his face with one hand to bring him closer. Taemin's hair was messy, his eyes were dark and shining, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his neck; Jongin found him breathtaking and he distractedly thought about how in love he was. It took a smile out of him, which Taemin immediately mirrored.

"What are you thinking about?" Taemin whined playfully. "You're not-... You're not supposed to think right now."

Jongin's giggles turned into a lewd whimper when Taemin thrust back in him.

"Just how much I love you," Jongin breathed out.

"Oh," Taemin gasped. "Alright then. Please go on."

Jongin forced him into a kiss to shut their mutual chuckles.

Taemin got slightly faster and Jongin threw his head back into the pillows, chanting for him to keep going, _please_. He barely paid attention to the wet sounds they were making, or to how impossibly hot the room was getting. Taemin kept kissing him, caressing his hair, telling him how good he felt. He brought Jongin's hands over his pecs at some point, and Jongin immediately got the message and started playing with his nipples. The moan that Taemin let out in response was so hot that Jongin felt the heat pooling in his stomach boil. Then, Taemin wrapped his small hand around Jongin's dick again and stroked him in rhythm with his jerky, jolting thrusts, and Jongin writhed under him, his moans turning louder.

When Jongin came in his hand, eyes teary and mouth wide open in whimpers of his name, Taemin gasped. He kept stroking Jongin to help him ride out his orgasm, and when his boyfriend finally went slack under him, Taemin brought his forearms on each side of Jongin's head, kissing him hard as he quickened his pace and relished in his overwhelmed moans of pleasure.

"I love you," Jongin breathed out as he held onto him almost desperately. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

Taemin came in turn, his hips losing their rhythm slowly and he kissed Jongin messily, moaning against his lips in delight.

Taemin sagged on him with a satisfied sigh, uncaring of the sweat and cum on their chests.

"I love you too, Jonginnie," he murmured, so sweetly that a few tears escaped Jongin's eyes.

Taemin kissed them away and straightened up just enough to push Jongin's hair away from his face and rub their noses together.

"Did you like it? Are those tears of joy?" Taemin asked with a small smile.

"It was perfect," Jongin whispered. "I'm just a little... emotional...?"

Taemin scrunched his nose and left a few pecks on Jongin's cheeks until he heard him laugh.

"You cutie."

They hugged for a while, exchanging very soft kisses and gentle, adoring compliments until Taemin rolled away from Jongin with a sigh.

"We should clean up, don't you think?"

Jongin pouted pensively.

"Couldn't we-...." he started softly, rolling back on top of Taemin. "Couldn't we do it again?"

Taemin looked at him with wide eyes and soon enough, a grin stretched his lips.

"Well, we sure have enough condoms."

"Shut up," Jongin whined.

He tried to shut Taemin's laughter with kisses.

They went to sleep later that night, barely cleaned-up but satiated, Taemin's arms securely holding his lovely boyfriend.

~

The next morning, Jongin woke up with a sore butt but a very, very warm heart. They dawdled in bed for a while, and Jongin couldn't help smiling. Oh, how long he had yearned for that relationship, for the sweetness of waking up tangled with his lover. Even sleepy, with swollen cheeks and puffy eyes, Taemin looked at him adoringly and had Jongin's heart soaring with happiness. For all of his secret wishes to the stars, Jongin had never been able to imagine the gaze Taemin directed at him; so tender, so affectionate, so unbearably in love.

When they finally got up, they made breakfast together, as they were used to in Taemin's cottage. Jongin jolted when he saw his cup of tea floating in the air, and Taemin apologized sheepishly. But as he remembered their whole conversation from the previous evening, Jongin was quick to reassure him, with a back hug and a few kisses, that he truly didn't mind him being a witch, nor him using magic when they were together. It lead to another long discussion through breakfast, about all that Taemin's magic would imply for them; a talk peppered with stolen kisses, feeding each other breakfast, and romantic glances.

Jongin promised to be careful and to protect Taemin's secret, and assured him that their friends could use their powers in front of him. In exchange, Taemin promised not to keep magical secrets from him.

Then, as Jongin finished his first cup of tea, Taemin hummed.

"Do you have a door that you don't use?"

Jongin blinked stupidly, unsure that he heard correctly.

"A door... that I don't use?"

"Yes," Taemin chirped. "You know, that you don't open all that often."

Jongin frowned as he scratched his head in wonder. He did use the door to his bedroom, as well as to his bathroom. His front door was very useful as well. He didn't have any spare room.

"I uh-... I don't think so, why?"

Taemin looked disappointed.

"Really not? Even a closet door would do," he pouted, "as long as you could walk through it."

Jongin had two small cupboards in his apartment, that he used for storage. One was in the hall, the other in his bedroom.

"I use my closets though... sorry."

Taemin nodded with a sigh and went back to finishing his breakfast.

"Why do you need a door?" Jongin asked softly.

"I could have made a spell to link our houses," Taemin hummed. "It would have been very convenient to see each other more easily. You'd just walk through the door and you'd be in my cottage."

Jongin's eyes widened and his spoon fell from his hand and into his yogurt, splashing it around. Taemin snorted.

"Well then!" Jongin exclaimed. "You should have started with this!"

"But if you don't have a door-..."

"I'll just buy another chest of drawers for my clothes, Taeminnie," Jongin whined. "I'll empty my closet and then you can use that door!"

Taemin ended up laughing heartily and kept Jongin from leaping out of his chair to get to it immediately, promising him that it could wait after breakfast. Jongin was vibrating with excitation so terribly that Taemin offered to do the dishes to let him remove all of his clothes from his closet and throw them on his bed, uncaring about where they would land, not even thinking about the fact that he might need his bed to sleep, at some point. Jongin flung all of his carefully folded shirts across his bedroom and it was only when he got to his pants that he realized how silly he was acting. With a guilty look on his face, he ran to his bed, whispered an apology to his mistreated shirts, and began refolding them neatly. He ended up spreading a towel on the ground and piled his clothes tidily on it until his closet was empty.

When Jongin came back to the kitchen, Taemin was trotting around, opening all cupboards, and mumbling to himself.

"Oh, don't you have cloves at least, Jonginnie? By all the Gods, there's nothing in this house."

"What are cloves?" Jongin asked foolishly.

Taemin glanced at him with a pout and patted his cheek softly.

"You sweet, cute little thing. It's a spice."

It only caused Jongin to blush.

"The uh-... I emptied the closet if you want."

Taemin stood on his tiptoes to kiss him, then smiled.

"I'm just searching for some plants, to do the spell."

"Oh."

"There's nothing in your drawers... I barely found garlic. I imagine you won't have any comfrey, will you?"

Jongin opened his mouth but remained quiet. His face fell under Taemin's gaze.

"What is comfrey?" he asked shyly.

When he saw how abashed Jongin looked, Taemin pinched his cheek.

"A flowering plant. It's alright though, don't worry. I'll do without it."

"Should I go to buy some stuff?" Jongin still offered timidly.

"No no," Taemin chirped. "I'll do with what you have. I'll make a stronger incantation to counterbalance. It's alright, I promise. But perhaps... do you have rice?"

Jongin perked up with a grin and scurried to his pantry.

"I do!" he squealed, almost proudly.

Taemin gathered a few more things lying around in the kitchen and Jongin watched him with wide eyes, wondering how it was possible to create a magical portal with rice, garlic, cilantro, and a couple more spices powders that were probably expired. But Taemin looked perfectly confident as he mixed all spices in a bowl, whistling happily, and Jongin thought that he was amazing beyond words.

He stared at him in awe when Taemin threw a pinch of his mixture on Jongin's closet door, before chanting a short spell in a language Jongin had never heard. It was all over in less than half a minute, and when Taemin turned back to him grinning, Jongin couldn't help thinking that he was teasing him. There had been no gleam, no sparkles, nothing looking remotely magical or extraordinary.

"Would you please...?" Taemin asked ceremoniously as he pointed at the door.

Dubious despite himself, Jongin frowned. He came closer to his closet, turned the doorknob, and gasped. Instead of his dark shelves, he came face to face with the door of Taemin's bedroom, across the narrow hallway on the last floor of the cottage he knew so well.

Taemin came close to him, slipping his arms around Jongin's waist and propping his chin on the man's shoulder.

"I thought linking your door to that guest bedroom was the best choice, don't you think?" he simpered.

"Taemin..." Jongin breathed out in shock.

"Yes?"

Jongin turned in his arms to hug him back excitedly.

"You're amazing! Incredible! Prodigious!"

Taemin laughed against him and chased his lips to kiss him happily.

"Now, we can sleep together every night," Taemin squealed.

Jongin was so moved with emotions at the mere prospect of all that it meant, that for a moment, he couldn't talk anymore. And so, he only nodded between two giggles.

Taemin carefully cupped his face and brought him closer to press their foreheads together.

"That being said," Taemin murmured, "please don't feel pressured to come. If you want a quiet evening sometimes, or to sleep alone... I won't be upset. Ever. And I won't ask you for explanations."

Jongin kissed him.

It was reassuring that Taemin always came forward to ease his worries before Jongin had to voice them. He wasn't sure, at that time, if he would ever feel the need to be alone, for all the evenings he had spent in his home since he had met Taemin had been lonely, filled with thoughts of his boyfriend only. But knowing that if it happened Taemin wouldn't be upset with him was deeply reassuring.

"You can come too, right...?" Jongin asked.

"Yes, of course. It works both ways."

"No, I mean-... Yes. I understood. I meant that you can come too. Or not. Whenever you want. I hope you know that."

Taemin's face softened.

"Thank you, Honey."

Jongin laced their fingers and brought Taemin's hand to his lips to kiss it gently.

They picked decent, complete pajamas from the pile of clothes on Jongin's bed, too lazy to put on real outfits, and crossed the portal hand in hand. It didn't tickle or send shivers down his spine, as Jongin had naively thought it would. It didn't feel any different than crossing the doorway to his bathroom. But it was immensely more exciting.

"Do you feel up to telling everyone?" Taemin asked kindly. "They all know I came to see you yesterday... they're probably wondering how it went. But if you-..."

"We can tell them."

Taemin beamed. With a little squeal of happiness, he lead Jongin down the stairs and across the house. As they arrived on the first floor, he turned back to him, one finger over his mouth, and motioned for him to stay put in the shadows, at the bottom of the stairs, and Jongin nodded, a glint of mischief shining in his eyes. Taemin scrunched his nose playfully and turned around to enter the living room.

Yukhei was sprawled over the couch, playing with Chittaphon who was curled up on the man's chest lazily. Next to them, Mark was reading the newspaper, commenting aloud on some festival that was supposed to happen in a couple of weeks in a town nearby. But he went quiet when Taemin entered the room, and he looked up to him with wide, worried eyes. His silence ticked Yukhei, who tilted his head, and abruptly sat up when he saw his friend, much to Chittaphon's dismay at being so carelessly thrown to Yukhei's lap. The cat hissed in bad mood and Yukhei immediately apologized to him.

"'Morning, everyone..." Taemin said softly.

At the sound of his voice, Chittaphon turned around and discarded Yukhei completely to walk up the armrest closest to Taemin.

"Good morning," Mark smiled. "How are you?"

"How did it went?" Yukhei exclaimed in a distressed voice without giving Taemin any time to answer.

Taemin balled his fists and took a long, dramatic inhale that had his three friends on the edge. And hidden in the doorway, Jongin hid his smile behind his hand.

"So, I went to see Jongin yesterday evening," Taemin drew out.

"Yes, yes. What happened?" Yukhei inquired anxiously, his face twisting in worry.

Taemin pursed his lips, then broke into a smile and turned away to extend his hand to the door behind him. Jongin peeked inside and saw both Yukhei and Mark sigh in relief as he came closer to hold Taemin's hand, both giggling of their mischief.

"Jonginnie still loves me," Taemin exclaimed proudly before he straightened up to press a kiss on his cheek.

"Of course, I do," Jongin whispered.

Yukhei and Mark exploded in congratulations but Jongin didn't pay attention to them. Under his nose, Chittaphon, who had been propped up on the armrest with two paws and nervously staring at Taemin, suddenly leaped in the air... and shifted into a man who cried out in happiness and threw himself at Taemin to hug him close.

Jongin stood speechless. He turned pale, his eyes bulged, and his jaw fell open in shock.

"I knew it," the man squealed, still hugging Taemin and bouncing up and down with him. "I knew everything would turn up fine! I told you, right? I told you Jongin was the one!"

Taemin was blushing and muttering for him to tone it down, but Jongin was still too dumbfounded to pay attention to what they were saying. He was extremely busy processing the fact that he, in fact, knew the man currently squishing his boyfriend in his arms. It was Ten.

Taemin finally noticed that Jongin looked just as if he had seen a ghost, and he gently pushed Chittaphon away to get to his boyfriend.

"Jonginnie? What's wrong?"

"Ten..." Jongin squeaked, "Ten is a cat... or like... Chittaphon is human? Ten is Chittaphon?"

Taemin frowned and their three friends froze, wondering how much Taemin had told Jongin.

"Yes, I told you so."

"No," Jongin whined softly. "No, no, no. You told me about Greek God Yukhei and also about Baekhyun being a Kumiho. You told me about everyone but you somehow forgot to mention Chittaphon is _human_..."

"Oops, have I?"

Taemin bit his lip with an apologetic look to his boyfriend, but before Jongin could say anything else, Chittaphon snorted behind them. He was scowling and pouting, arms crossed over his chest.

"You forgot about me? You _forgot_? I, the one who introduced you two? I saw him first! I brought Jongin here to you and you... forgot me?! The audacity! I do all the hard work around here and bring soulmates together, and that's all the thanks I get?! Unbelievable!"

"Oh dear," Taemin sighed with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't you 'oh dear' me!"

Yukhei was giggling behind them as he got up to come to hug his boyfriend and hopefully, help calm him down.

"I'm sorry," Taemin whined, looking at both Chittaphon and Jongin in turn. "I didn't mean to... There was just so much to say... It slipped my mind!"

Chittaphon huffed in outrage but softened when he looked over to Jongin.

"I'm a familiar," he said softly.

"What... is that?" Jongin asked shyly.

"A spirit who guides witches when they're stuck or need help. I met Taemin a long time ago... and well, I never really left, I guess."

Taemin snickered as he came close to Jongin and hugged his arm with a grin.

"Familiars are only supposed to be passing through... But I'm so lovely to be around that Chi' stuck around."

"Much good it did me!"

Taemin squinted at him and pulled his tongue.

"It uh-..." Jongin murmured, and everyone turned to look at him, causing him to blush. "It makes sense... suddenly. Everything. Chittaphon and Ten. It makes sense."

Chittaphon softened and gave him a kind smile.

"I'm really glad we don't have to hide from you anymore, Jongin. Thank you for accepting us."

From that day on, life in the little cottage lost in the woods became so immensely sweeter.

It took Jongin a few weeks to get used to all the improbable and impossible things he witnessed. Only then did he realize how difficult and frustrating it must have been for all of his friends to hide their true natures when he was around. Things were always floating around the houses, dishes doing themselves, or the piano playing alone. Tiny explosions also happened every now and then. But quickly, Jongin grew accustomed to it. He didn't jolt anymore when Chittaphon turned from one form to the other, he didn't scream when Mark caught something on fire, he didn't even blink when the whole area brightened because Yukhei smiled.

And Taemin was ever so cute when he showed him a new trick; Jongin particularly loved when his boyfriend enchanted his book to hold itself up and turn pages on its own so he could snuggle under a blanket comfortably without tiring his arms.

Sometimes, in the most random moments, Jongin realized how incredible his journey through the last few months had been. When Taemin asked for cuddles and held him tight, he still couldn't believe his luck. And when he gazed at the sky at night, laying on the grass with his lover, Jongin always thanked the twinkling stars for granting him all of his dearest, deepest wishes.

~

As Fall came, the little bus stop between the village where Jongin lived and the nearby little town, was deserted again. When they passed by the woods, the regulars often looked at the seat in the bus where Jongin usually sat; even the driver stopped now and then as if he expected him to get off. But the few times when Jongin found himself in the bus, on his way to 'the Treasure Island', he only smiled fondly at the wooden bench through the window.

They passed it again and Jongin couldn't help but grin when he noticed a black grizzled tabby cat trotting around the little shelter and disappearing into the grass. He planned to get to the cottage later that afternoon, after his little trip to Kim Junmyeon's bookstore.

During the remainder of his bus trip, Jongin let his thoughts go freely. He had awoken that day in Taemin's bed, in Taemin's arms. He had dressed up with clothes he had left at the cottage because it turned out to be easier to leave his shirts in Taemin's large wardrobe than to buy another chest of drawers to squeeze into his bedroom. Jongin was constantly there anyway; in Taemin's house, arms, and heart.

Jongin was so caught up in thoughts about his lover, that he almost missed his stop. For his defense, Taemin had planned for them to go chestnuts hunting that afternoon, and Jongin was extremely excited about such a romantic, fanciful adventure. Still, Jongin had decided to go to 'the Treasure Island' once a month at least, to support his beloved local bookstore.

It was as quiet as always when Jongin entered. He caught sight of a teenager, sprawled in one of the armchairs by the window in the back, reading a thick book avidly, and it took a smile out of him.

"Good afternoon!"

Junmyeon's joyful voice drew Jongin's attention on him and he smiled kindly at the owner with a little bow of his head. Then, he stepped into the maze of high shelves, looking for a new adventure. As often, he didn't know exactly what he was looking for. But if that whole story had taught Jongin anything, it was that the best things often come unexpectedly. Thus, he strolled around, picking a couple of books, reading their covers, putting them back. And he put his faith in his lucky star, to get him where he needed to go.

As fate played it, Jongin turned around a shelving unit and almost bumped into someone, a short man who happened to be none other than Junmyeon.

Junmyeon apologized, even though he had done nothing wrong, and grinned at him. At that moment, Jongin felt a curious little something in his guts, a tiny push; the one he had been waiting for for so long.

"Could you help me?" Jongin asked with wide eyes and a faint blush on his cheeks.

Junmyeon looked surprised, then excited.

"Of course, what do you need?"

Jongin fought himself not to lower his gaze to his feet. He wanted to be brave.

"Would you-... Would you maybe recommend me a book?"

"What kind of book?"

"Any kind, really. I uh-... I like all sorts of books. I just-... I don't know what to read," Jongin said softly.

Junmyeon looked at him curiously, but kindly. As if he was studying him and was trying to decipher in Jongin's soft features, which book would fit him the most. Then, he turned away.

"Come with me!"

Jongin followed diligently. His heart was pounding with excitement and he thought of Taemin. He could already see his proud smile when Jongin would tell him what he did. Talking with Junmyeon! On his own! Taemin would surely congratulate him. And kiss him. What wonderful things to look forward to.

Junmyeon brought him to his counter, leaned to grab a book from a pile under his desk, and held it out to Jongin with a beaming smile.

"Have you read this one?"

Jongin's face softened when he saw one of his most beloved books in Junmyeon's hands. It was 'Little Women' by Louisa Alcott.

"Oh, I did," Jongin said without even noticing that his stammer had disappeared already. "Your grandmother offered it to me for my tenth birthday. I still don't know how she even discovered my date of birth but it was the loveliest present I had ever received. I love this story dearly."

Jongin looked up and abruptly blushed when he saw the surprised look on Junmyeon's face. It soon turned into a silly expression as the man scrunched his nose.

"Ah, I should have expected it. She read it to me so often when I was a kid that it has become my favorite book. She said it would teach me valuable lessons."

Junmyeon laughed to himself and put the book back on his desk with a sigh.

"Kim Jongin," Junmyeon continued, and Jongin looked like a deer caught in headlights. "She speaks about you quite much, you know. In fact, she often asks me to greet you on her behalf. Yet, I never did. I told her I felt a little awkward passing her greetings out of the blue."

"Oh, really?"

"I'm sorry for withholding her greetings for so long."

Jongin shook his hand between them. His whole face was lighting up in happiness.

"Don't be. I understand. But would you please greet her back?"

"Of course."

Knowing that his dear old friend hadn't forgotten about him moved Jongin immensely. All his fondest memories of her resurfaced and he stood smiling quietly to himself, with teary eyes.

"Have you read Poe?"

Junmyeon's question brought Jongin back to the present. He sniffed, then frowned.

"I'm sorry?"

"Edgar Allan Poe, have you read a book from him? I think you might love his short stories. I mean... I've kind of picked up through the years that you liked mystery and macabre books. Or children's books. Those are truly interesting choices."

"I've never read him," Jongin said, slightly in shock. "I would love to!"

Junmyeon laughed again and trotted back from behind his counter.

Together, they went to retrieve a collection of short stories from Poe on one of the bookshelves and walked back to the counter. Jongin sat on the stool next to the coffee machine where he had seen Oh Sehun sit so many times before him. They were so caught up in their conversation about poems and novels, romance and satires, mystery and gothic, that Jongin didn't fully realize what was going on.

He was, in fact, having a fascinating discussion with Kim Junmyeon. Who would have thought? Certainly not Jongin.

The teenager was still imperturbable in her armchair, reading without paying attention to them. And when the front door opened, Junmyeon barely heard it. It took him quite some time to stop chuckling at a little comment from Jongin and look up to greet his new customer.

"Oh, good afternoon!"

"Hi there."

Jongin perked up at the sound of Taemin's voice and turned around with a bright smile. Taemin was looking at him with shining eyes, his head tilted slightly in amusement.

"Taeminnie..."

Taemin came closer, diving to his boyfriend happily, and immediately leaned to kiss his forehead.

"I should have expected to find you here," he chuckled.

Jongin slipped his arms around Taemin's waist and pressed a small peck on his cheek.

"What are you doing here?"

"I ordered a book and Yukhei got a message it arrived... I've learned to give his number in those situations, otherwise, I just keep missing important things." Taemin mused before turning his head to Junmyeon.

Junmyeon was already handing him 'The Exploits of Moominpappa', by Tove Jansson. The fourth volume from the series following the book Jongin had offered him on his birthday.

"There it is," Junmyeon chirped.

"Thank you so kindly."

Taemin looked down and saw the book lying before Jongin. He smirked.

"Poe? Oh, you're going to love him."

"Yes, Junmyeon said so too," Jongin said softly.

Taemin looked at them in turn. He brought his hand on Jongin's face and brushed his hair away from his forehead tenderly.

"Are you coming home with me or do you want to stay here a little longer?"

If the thought of continuing his conversation with Junmyeon sounded lovely, it was still nowhere near the joy of going chestnuts hunting with Taemin. So Jongin stood up and smiled.

"We should go home..."

"Are you sure?"

Jongin nodded, then he looked at Junmyeon.

"I'll tell you my opinion on Poe next time?"

"I'm counting on it."

"And please, greet your grandmother for me."

Junmyeon promised so.

Jongin argued with Taemin softly to pay for his book as a present – when Taemin asked what was the occasion, Jongin simply answered cheekily that he loved him and that was it.

They left the bookshop holding hands and stopped in front of the window display. Taemin halted and looked up to Jongin with a loving smile, the one that brought his cheeks up cutely and turned his pretty eyes into little moon crescents.

"You are amazing, Honey. I'm so happy for you."

Jongin bit his lip but still couldn't contain his joy. He didn't have to talk, he didn't have to explain. Taemin saw him, for all that he was, and noticed all of his efforts, always. He listened intently when Jongin wanted to talk and understood when he couldn't. And oh, Jongin loved him so immensely for that.

"Thank you."

Taemin stood on his tiptoes to kiss him. Hand in hand, they walked back to get their bus, chatting animatedly about their mornings away from each other. Together, they got off at the cute stop with a wooden bench under a little shelter, abandoned between the narrow road and the woods.

~

THE END

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.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lovelies!
> 
> I hope you liked that last chapter ♥♥ & that I could still pleasantly surprise you with those last revelations & explanations!  
> There is a very small epilog coming on Sunday to wrap it all up cutely, please look forward to it!  
> In the meantime, I'll gladly listen to your thoughts on this last part.  
> Take care of yourself.
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonyki) // [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/Moonyki)


	6. Epilog

.

It had been snowing the whole day and Jongin had spent hours, at work, gazing through the window at the twinkling snowflakes, daydreaming about strolling in the forest hand in hand with Taemin. In his dreams, his boyfriend would wear one of his cute beanies and that fluffy, soft black scarf that he adored. They would walk for hours, discussing this and that before coming back home to some hot chocolate, and hopefully, they would cuddle on the couch, facing the large french doors to the back garden to see the snow falling. How romantic it would be.

The cottage was quiet lately. Yukhei hadn't been able to stay put for too long, as was his habit. He had decided to go away to New Zealand in late October and Mark had gone with him. After numerous doubts and long discussions with Taemin, Chittaphon had decided to go with them this once, mostly because he was tired of longing for his lover half of the year while the man was on a jaunt. And he didn't feel too guilty about leaving Taemin behind anymore, knowing that he wouldn't be alone.

And thus, Taemin and Jongin had the whole cottage to themselves.

The marigolds had wilted months ago and Taemin had put a spell on them to protect their seeds from the cold weather that such flowers usually didn't like. He had promised Jongin that they would come back. They always did. Just like Yukhei.

In the meantime, the hill had been covered in a white coat and the woods around were silent, dormant. It was a very special kind of magic that Jongin adored. He had spent long afternoons with Taemin hiking in the snow, building snowmen, and installing decorations and warm lights all over their home.

When he arrived in the cottage in the middle of the afternoon, Jongin immediately called for Taemin. On his way, he had received a message from Junmyeon asking him if they would like to join him and Sehun to go ice-skating in town on the weekend, and Jongin was already transported with such a romantic, fanciful idea.

Jongin hurtled down the stairs grinning, still calling for Taemin, and jolted when he saw Taeyong coming out of the kitchen with an apron around his hips and flour all over his face.

"Hi there, Jongin."

"Oh, Taeyong... It's been a while!"

"Happy birthday!" Taeyong squealed with a large smile.

Jongin scrunched his nose happily and trotted closer.

"Thank you! Is Taemin with you? And Baekhyun?"

Taeyong held out his arms with a little exclamation, widening his eyes as if it could make him more threatening.

"Don't come closer! I'm cooking! Baking! You're forbidden in my kitchen."

Jongin cocked an eyebrow and his smile turned into a tiny smirk.

"Oh. If that's how it is..."

"That's exactly how it is. Taemin is waiting for you in the piano room. There, you're allowed."

Jongin couldn't help laughing. His face brightened at the prospect of getting to his boyfriend and he turned on his heels.

"Okie," he chirped, "thank you! Have fun baking me a cake!"

"Who said I was baking anyone a cake?" Taeyong whined. "Don't touch your presents on your way."

Jongin halted halfway through the door to the hallway and turned back, looking around.

"Presents? For me?"

His eyes caught sight of the pile of gifts awkwardly put together on the round coffee table near the pond, and he blushed.

"Why are there so many?!"

"Well then," Taeyong scoffed, "you didn't think the three musketeers would forget about you, did you? They sent their presents to Baekhyun and I a few weeks ago to make sure they would arrive on time but that you wouldn't find them too soon."

Jongin looked from Taeyong to all the gifts waiting for him and his face softened.

"That's so very kind of them," he whispered.

"Yes, indeed. Now, go find Taeminnie. He's been waiting for you."

At the mention of his lover, Jongin perked up, thanked Taeyong once more, and ran away cutely.

The door to the piano room was slightly ajar and when Jongin pushed it open, he gasped. The room that used to be just big enough for Taemin's magnificent piano had been enlarged, and multiple large windows added. It looked like a conservatory, luminous and magical, rendered even more enchanting by the snow still falling slowly outside. Jongin saw Baekhyun, sitting behind the piano and smiling at him mischievously; then Taemin, standing still and a little stiff in the center of the room, wearing black slacks and Jongin's favorite oversized wool sweater. His white shirt's collar was peeking out of the cream sweater's V-neck and in the cutest, most Taemin fashion, his long sleeves were completely swallowing his small hands.

Jongin blushed so quickly and so deeply at the sight of him that Taemin relaxed with a content little smile.

"Hi," Jongin breathed out.

"Hi," Taemin giggled.

Jongin walked to him as if in a dream. He completely forgot about Baekhyun behind him, too busy that he was admiring Taemin. When he reached him, he grabbed his wrists and brought him close enough to kiss him.

"Happy birthday," Taemin murmured against his lips.

"You already congratulated me this morning."

"And so what?"

Jongin shook his head softly but his eyes never left his boyfriend's.

"You're so pretty."

"Thank you, you're not bad yourself," Taemin mused.

Jongin rubbed their noses together with a happy sigh.

"Jonginnie, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

Taemin's voice was soft and hopeful and Jongin's heart began to pound loudly.

"Dancing?" he repeated.

"Yes. Baekhyun will play for us."

Jongin blinked and abruptly turned back to see their friend bowing slightly to them pompously.

"Oh."

"Please say yes."

"Of course," Jongin whispered, almost surprised that Taemin would doubt his willingness to do anything to make him happy.

Taemin's face brightened in joy and he enthusiastically took Jongin's hand in his, putting the other on his boyfriend's waist. Jongin chuckled shyly as he brought his other hand on Taemin's shoulder and looked at him adoringly.

"It's been a while since we danced like this."

"I know," Taemin murmured. "We should do it more often..."

He threw a glance at Baekhyun, who nodded at him from behind the piano, then began to play.

"I love you, Honey."

The first notes resonated in the grand room and Taemin softly lead Jongin into a slow waltz. It took only a couple of notes for Jongin to recognize the song and he gasped, his wide eyes immediately tearing under Taemin's loving gaze.

When Baekhyun began to sing, Jongin bit his bottom lip to try to contain both his emotion and his tears.

"A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep... In dreams you will lose your heartaches, whatever you wish for, you keep..."

Taemin let go of Jongin's waist only to make him twirl and bring him back to him even closer. They swayed around the room, swirling near the windows under the soft January sunset.

"Have faith in your dreams and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true..."

Despite his eyes shining with unshed tears, Jongin was beaming. He sniffed through his giggles as Taemin kept making him whirl; and when he found himself back in his boyfriend's arms, Jongin tilted his head.

"It's you," he whispered not to cover Baekhyun's voice. "You're my rainbow."

Taemin stole a kiss from him.

"A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep... In dreams you will lose your heartaches, whatever you wish for, you keep..."

Taemin slowed down slightly and brought Jongin as close to him as he could. He tilted his head for their foreheads to touch and Jongin closed his eyes.

"I know this song means a lot to you," Taemin murmured.

"It does. Thank you for dancing to it with me," Jongin smiled.

He wanted to tell him about that time in his apartment when he had wished so desperately that they would, but Taemin kissed him again. When they parted, Taemin looked at him and Jongin felt like a ship caught in a storm all over again.

"Kim Jongin," Taemin said with a touching smile, "one day, I will marry you."

Jongin's eyes widened and he would have stumbled over if Taemin hadn't held him so close.

"Have faith in your dreams and someday, your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true..."

Jongin felt his heart soaring and it took all the strength he had not to break down sobbing right there in Taemin's arms, as the snow was falling behind them.

"You will?" he asked in a small, reedy voice.

"It's the wish I make lately. I ask the stars that you'll always love me."

The last notes of the song resonated around. Baekhyun got up as quietly as he could and left the room, closing the door behind him with a satisfied grin.

They had stopped swaying and Taemin was holding Jongin preciously, both arms wrapped around the man's thin waist. Jongin leaned to kiss him with all the tenderness he had.

"That's quite amusing," Jongin whispered against Taemin's lips, "I make the same wish every night."

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> & it's done ♥
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, supporting, loving this fic!! I've had such a wonderful time writing this story last summer & I was overjoyed to share it with you all at last. I'm truly so grateful for all the love it received & getting some readers' thoughts on it. Every kudo, every comment, every little message in tweets means the world to me, always. I hope you all know how incredibly happy you made me by giving 'The wish my heart made' a chance. I hope it gave you warmth, happiness, & comfort.  
> Thank you for being there with me. See you soon with another story ♥
> 
> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/moonyki) // [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/Moonyki)


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